Cubosome Description of the Inorganic Mesoporous Structure MCM-48

The cubic mesoporous hydroxylated silicate MCM-48 is shown to consist of sub-micron-sized particles which display “crystal-like” faces. This well-defined particle habit is described in terms of cubosome behavior, and a complete representation of the particle structure is given as an analytical function. This function combines, in an exponential manner, both the minimal surface nature of the internal structure and the polyhedral nature of the peripheral structure. The consequences of a cubosome nature for MCM-48 are discussed in terms of possible chirality.