Nucleation of MCM-41 Nanoparticles by Internal Reorganization of Disordered and Nematic-Like Silica–Surfactant Clusters We thank the University of Bristol for the support of an ORS award to S.S., and Dr. S. A. Davis for help with electron microscopy.

A controlled quenching process allows the nucleation period to be increased sufficiently, such that high-resolution transmission electron microscopy can be used to reveal the structural and shape transformations during the onset and development of mesophase ordering of the hexagonally ordered silica–surfactant mesophase MCM-41 (see scheme).