Biomimetic synthesis of silica membrane was realized using tetraethylorthosilicate as the silicon source and macromolecule assemblies of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the organic template. Influencing factors of the biomimetic synthesis of the membrane were investigated. The operation conditions were optimized for producing a hierachical silica membrane. The pore size of the membrane on the topside and bottom side was determined to be 1.9 nm and 25 nm, respetively, by using special techniques such as SEM and N2 adsorption and desorption.

Key words: SILICON DIOXIDE, PORE STRUCTURE, SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPES