Single-pot synthesis of ordered mesoporous silica films with unique controllable morphology.

•A new single-pot-synthesis for fabricating mesoporous silica films is described.•The films consist of a monolayer of short SBA-15 rods grown on Si-wafers.•The pores are easily accessed, and their size can be tuned between 10.7 and 13.9nm.•The formation of the films resembles the evolution of rods formed in the solution.