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Abstract: Oriented hydroxyapatite nanoclusters were achieved by reflux method in the presence of non-poisonous and well dissolved surfactant (potassium polyoxyethylene laurylether phosphate, MAEPK). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) demonstrated uniform sizes of nanorods arranged in parallel to each other along the c-axis and formed partially oriented nanoclusters in the presence of MAEPK. The sizes of each nanoparticle were about 60–80nm in length and 20nm in width. MAEPK had an important impact on the morphology of product due to the structure of surfactant and a strong electrostatic interaction between ionized MAEPK and Ca2+ ions. The regulating formation mechanism of hydroxyapatite nanoclusters by MAEPK may extend the understanding of biomineralization process for the preparation of biomimetic materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A range of silica nanofibers with refined mesoporous microstructures were successfully synthesized via the combination of electrospinning and the sol–gel method. It was found that the concentration of nonionic surfactant Pluronic F127 (EO106PO70EO106) significantly influenced the morphology and mesoporous structure of silica nanofiber. With the reduced F127/Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) mass ratio, from 0.28 to 0.14, the diameter of silica nanofibers decreased from 453nm to 130nm, and more importantly, the size and the orientation of the internal mesopores were remarkably regulated. It has therefore been a critical step forward to a new hierarchical silica fiber for modern optical and biomedical applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]