Growth of single crystalline dendritic Li2SiO3 arrays from LiNO3 and mesoporous SiO2

A solution based wet chemistry approach has been developed for synthesizing Li2SiO3 using LiNO3 and mesoporous silica as starting materials at 550 deg. C. A reaction path where NO and O2 are formed as side-products is proposed. The crystals synthesized exhibit dendritic growth where the as-prepared nanodendrite is a typical 1-fold nanodendrite composed of one several microns long and some tenth of nanometers wide trunk with small branches, which are several hundreds of nanometers long and up to 70 nm in diameter. The effect of the structure of the mesoporous silica for the final morphology is discussed. - Graphical abstract: TG/DSC and gas analysis (inset) curves of the synthesis reaction measured in air and SEM micrograph of the Li2SiO3 dendrite obtained. Highlights: → We present a simple template-based method for preparing unusual 2-D lithium metasilicate (Li2SiO3) dendritic nanostructures. → The high purity of the final Li2SiO3 is explained by the reaction mechanism proposed. → This templated synthesis method provides a new route for direct growth of dendritic nanostructures.