Abstract Delicate nanostructures, especially tubular nanoarchitectures, have been verified to exhibit amazing physicochemical properties due to the unique atomic arrangements and are applied to various fields including optics, electronics, etc. Herein, montmorillonite nanotubes were prepared for the first time from the exfoliated unilaminar nanolayer counterparts via a facile hydrothermal process using cation-type surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, C16H33(CH3)3NBr) as the directing reagent, realizing a structural evolution from bulk through unilaminar nanolayers to nanotubes, and bringing a new member to the nanotube family. This work offers a new approach to the structural evolution of lamellar layered silicate minerals into nanotubes for more functionalities.

中文翻译：

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蒙脱石：从块体到单层纳米层到纳米管的结构演变

摘要 精细的纳米结构，尤其是管状纳米结构，由于其独特的原子排列方式，已被证实具有惊人的理化性质，并被应用于光学、电子等各个领域。本文首次从剥离的单层纳米层制备蒙脱石纳米管。通过使用阳离子型表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB，C16H33（CH3）3NBr）作为导向剂的简单水热工艺，实现了从本体到单层纳米层到纳米管的结构演变，并为纳米管家族带来了新成员。这项工作为层状层状硅酸盐矿物的结构演变为纳米管提供了一种新的方法，以获得更多的功能。