A new simple method for obtaining the intermediate ribbonlike SBA-8 mesoporous silicais presented and discussed. We show how the SBA-8 phase can be prepared with the helpof commercial alkyltrimethylammonium nonrigid surfactants (such as cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) instead of rigid bolaform amphiphiles, which were used as templates inthe only SBA-8 synthesis procedure previously reported. The method is based on the use ofatrane complexes as silicon precursors, and we also show how bringing into play fundamentalkinetic parameters (like reaction time and temperature at which the successive reactionsteps are carried out) makes it possible to modulate the resulting material topology.
