WATER AS TEMPLATE

Another way to explore comes from a new result recently evidenced in our group, which was just cited in the introduction. It concerns VSB-1 (for Versailles Santa Barbara), a nickel oxyfluorophosphate [22] which is together porous, magnetic and ion exchanger, and which exhibits the largest pores ever discovered with synthetic solids. Indeed the tunnels are 24-rings (Fig. 16). Beside its structural characteristics, it provides also one of the rare examples of a porous solid with only water as template. If one remembers that the largest known pores exist in the mineral Cacoxenite [80], and that these pores are filled only by water molecules, this probably represents a new field of research in this area. 

Nanoparticle shape control can be easily effected by using self-assembled structures such as micelles (arising due to spontaneous assembly of suitable surfactants in water) as templates [4-6]. 

It also reveals the possible role of water as template during the synthesis. The seven types of water molecules were found to have different binding energy. Their step-wise removal is possible as shown by careful thermogravimetric study and Xe adsorption study[4,5]. 

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