Ordered meso-porous silica nanomaterials (MCM-41) were prepared by the sol-gel method. Brunauer?Emmett?Teller (BET) analysis shows a surface area of about 1600 m(2)/g and a wide meso-pores distribution. Silica nanofibers (SNF) were prepared by electrospinning of a mixture of silica precursor and an easily electrospinnable polymer; polyvinyl alcohol. SNF were found to have an ordered micro-porous surface with surface area of 425 m(2)/g with average pore radius of 1.99?nm. Beryllium uptake capacities of MCM-41 and SNF were studied under different conditions. The uptake efficiency of SNF was superior to that of MCM-41; the maximum achieved efficiency was 45.8% and 92.7% for MCM-41 and SNF, respectively.