Electron‐Tomography Determination of the Packing Structure of Macroporous Ordered Siliceous Foams Assembled From Vesicles

Abstract The packing structures of macroporous ordered siliceous foams (MOSFs) are systematically investigated by using a 3D electron tomography technique and the nanostructural characteristics for layered MOSFs are resolved. MOSF materials adopt an ordered 2D hexagonal arrangement in single‐layered areas, regular honeycomb patterns in double‐layered samples, and polyhedric cells similar to a Weaire–Phelan structure in multilayered areas, all following the principle of minimizing surface area, which is well understood in soap foams at the macroscopic scale. In surfactant‐templated materials, liquid‐crystal templating is generally applied, but here it is revealed that the surface‐area‐minimization principle can also be applied, which facilitates the design and synthesis of novel macroporous materials using surfactant molecules as templates.