Bacterial cellulose-templated synthesis of free-standing silica nanotubes with a three-dimensional network structure

Abstract

Nanotubes with a three-dimensional (3D) network structure are highly sought after in many fields. We report a scalable synthesis of silica nanotubes with a 3D network structure via a scalable and environmentally friendly template-assisted sol–gel route followed by calcination. The sol–gel process was conducted under ambient conditions and near-neutral pH without any additional catalysts by using bacterial cellulose (BC) as the template agent and catalyst. The formation of well-defined nanotubes and the 3D network structure were confirmed by TEM and SEM. The role of BC nanofibers as both the catalyst and structure directing agent were demonstrated. The silica nanotubes exhibited intensive blue luminescence under UV irradiation.