Structure of Sol-Gel-Derived Sodium Dititanate Glass

The sodium dititanate, Na₂O·2TiO₂ glass was prepared by the sol-gel method. The structure of the glass, especially local environment of Ti⁴⁺ ions was examined using X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analyses, and was compared with that of the melt-derived glass with the same composition. It was found that Ti⁴⁺ ions are rather in five-fold coordination state, forming TiO₅ pyramids with one doubly bonded Ti=O in the gel-glass, while they were in lower coordination state or four-fold coordination in the melt-derived glass.     

Hydration of phosphate and borate glasses in an autoclave

Kinetics of hydration of CaO---Al₂O₃---P₂O₅ and Na₂O---CaO---B₂O₃---Al₂O₃ glasses in an autoclave at high temperatures and high pressures has been investigated. The hydration of the phosphate glasses may occur as a result of hydrolysis of glass constituents to form orthophosphate crystals. Cabal glasses which do not contain any alkali oxides have shown a quite high resistance to water. Substitution of sodium for calcium deteriorates the chemical durability of Cabal glasses.     

Surface Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Films Deposited on Polyimide Sheets by the Sol-Gel Method

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based inorganic/organic hybrids films were prepared on polyimide sheets by the sol-gel method using silanol-terminated PDMS and titanium tetraisopropoxide as starting materials. The effect of heat-treatment temperature on the surface property of the hybrid films was examined in terms of contact angle of water and Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM phase images showed the presence of domains, 200–500 nm in size, on the surface of these films after heat-treatment below 300°C. These regions were more hydrophilic than the rest of the area. The domains disappeared at 300°C and the surface became homogeneous surface of the peak to valley value, about 10 nm. It is also uniformly hydrophobic and a maximum contact angle (about 115°C) was obtained.     

Hydrolysis and condensation reactions of Si(OC2H5)4 related to silica fiber drawing

The hydrolysis and condensation reactions of Si(OC₂H₅)₄ (TEOS) at 80°C in the TEOS---H₂O---C₂H₅OH---HCl solutions with H₂O/TEOS molar ratios (r) from 1.0 to 2.0 were followed by gas chromatography (GC) and measurement of molecular weight ( ) of the hydrolyzates, in order to explain the viscosity change of the solutions. It has been found that the siloxane oligomers with average polymerization degree (n) from 2 to 7 are formed in the early stage of reaction and undergo condensation to form higher polymers. The n and the number of silanol groups of the oligomers are increased with increasing r. The fact that the solution viscosity increased once rapidly around the so-called gelation point followed by a sluggish increase with the increase of reaction time for an r of 1.7, while it increased rapidly without a break till gelation for an r of 2.0, was attributed to fewer silanol groups and higher steric hindrance as a result of more −OC₂H₅ groups remaining in the oligomers for an r of 1.7.     

Comparative Study of Structure of Silica Gels from Different Sources

The medium-range-network structure of silicas from different sources was comparatively examined by X-ray diffraction, IR and NMR analyses. Silica gels made through the conventional sol-gel route were found to have a different structure from silica glass, and considered to be composed of 4-fold siloxane ring units, irrespective of preparation conditions. Amorphous silicas in rice-hulls and bamboo leaves showed structure data close to silica glass, being suggested to consist mainly of 6-fold siloxane ring units. The modified sol-gel method, in which siloxane oligomers containing cyclic siloxane tetramers may have been ring-opened and polymerized under the catalytic reaction of NaOH or NH₄F in the water-free solution, provided the silica gel of which structure was very similar to silica glass.     

A,B,D,F-tetrasubstituted β-cyclodextrin as artificial channel compound

As a channel forming compound, β-cyclodextrin having four hydrophobic tails and three metal binding sites, 1, [A,C,D,F,-tetra-6-(6-n-butyrylamino-n-hexylsulfenyl)-β-cyclodextrin] was synthesized as a “half channel”. Artificial liposome modified with 1 transported Co⁺⁺ efficiently with the rate, 4.5 × 10^?4sec^?1 for 55 μM 1, much faster tahn the rate for the unmodified liposome.     

Preparation of Gold Microcrystal-Doped TiO2, ZrO2 and Al2O3 Films Through Sol-Gel Process

Au-microcrystal-doped TiO₂, ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ films were made by sol-gel dip-coating method using titanium, zirconium and aluminum alkoxides with HAuCl₄ · 4H₂O. The influence of the oxide matrix composition on the maximum amount of the Au microcrystals that can be incorporated in the oxide film was examined. Some amount of Au microcrystals were exhausted to the surface of Au microcrystal-doped oxide films when an excess amount of HAuCl₄ · 4H₂O was dissolved in the coating solution. The maximum amount of Au that can be incorporated in the oxide film was found to increase with the increase of the pH point at zero charge (PZC) of the matrix oxide. This should be due to the fact that AuCl ₄ ^- ions are charged negative and also Au microcrystals tend to charge negative, so that the oxide gel with high PZC, which has a tendency to charge positive, may fix the ions and/or microcrystals to its interior. A maximum amount of Au microcrystals as high as 12.6 vol% was attained in an Au:Al₂O₃ film.     

Effect of Composition on Surface Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane-based Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Films

Surface properties of the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based inorganic/organic hybrids films prepared from silanol-terminated PDMS and titanium tetra-isopropoxide (TIP) were investigated with an aim at the application to the thermal-fixation roll for electro-photographic printers. The 300°C-treated hybrid film with the PDMS/TIP molar ratio of 0.5 exerted a relatively high contact angle of water as 115°C. It was found by using Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) that the hybrid film surface changed from lamella structure to sea-island structure with the increase of PDMS content when heat-treated at 150°C, and became homogenous surface over 300°C. The phase-shift detected by AFM was negative shift, showing that hybrid surface became more hydrophobic as the PDMS/TIP molar ratios of 0.35 and 4.0 exhibited excellent toner-offset property of showing no adhesion of toners, suggesting their practical use in the photographic printers.     

Formation of α-Alumina Around 500°C in Alkoxy-Derived Alumina Gels Under Ambient Pressure—Effects of Starting Solution Composition and Seeding

The hydrolysis of aluminum-sec-butoxide (ASB) in the ASB-H₂O-C₂H₅OH-HCl solutions at 0°C for 18 h and subsequent aging of the sol for 30 days at 5°C provided an alumina gel which was partially (20–30 wt%) transformed to -Al₂O₃ when heat-treated at 500°–600°C under ambient pressure. In addition to the hydrolysis and aging conditions, the amounts of water and HCl in the starting solution were found to be very important factors for the low temperature formation of -Al₂O₃ in the resultant gel. Some difference in the chemical environment of involved OH groups was found between the alumina gel forming -Al₂O₃ at 500°–600°C and the conventional gel. Corundum seeding was found to be effective; thus, 1 wt% seeding brought about an increase in the fraction of -Al₂O₃ formed at 600°C to 40–50 wt%.     

Migration of Cu ions in Cu2O---Al2O3---SiO2 glasses on heating in air

The behavior of copper ions in the Cu₂O·Al₂O₃·4SiO₂ (in moles) glass on heating in air at temperatures up to 500°C was studied. When the glass, in which about 90% of Cu was present as Cu⁺ ions, was heated in air above 300°C, a CuO layer was formed on the surface. The amount of CuO was increased with heating temperature and time, corresponding to the decrease in weight of the glass. Furthermore, the fraction of Cu²⁺ ions in the glass increased. These observations suggest that oxygens do not diffuse into the glass, but Cu⁺ ions migrate to the surface from the interior to balance the surplus positive charge produced by the oxidation of Cu⁺ to Cu²⁺ ions inside the glass. The following reaction scheme for the formation of the CuO layer was proposed; 2Cu⁺(interior) + ₂¹O₂(surface) → Cu²⁺(interior) + CuO(surface).