Three-dimensional observation of macroporous silica gels and the study on structural formation mechanism

Three-dimensional (3D) observation of co-continuous macropore structure was performed using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The obtained LSCM images were reconstructed into 3D images, and further subjected to image analysis. The LSCM observation and the following image analysis provided geometrical parameters of the macropore surfaces, which cannot be obtained by classical techniques for macropore characterization, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation or mercury intrusion method. Based on the obtained structural parameters, influences of viscoelastic properties on the liquid-phase structural formation mechanism were examined.