Monte carlo simulation of self-assembled ordered hybrid materials

Lattice Monte Carlo simulations were performed to study the structure of hybrid organic-inorganic materials. Several cases were modeled where the composition corresponds to high surfactant concentration phases similar to that obtained from the synthesis of hybrid materials resulting from a phase separation. When using hybrid inorganic precursors, comparable to organosilicas, we observe that the organic segment is well mixed with the inorganic precursor and surfactant heads and no preferential location of the organic groups is observed. We show that the behavior of surfactant/hybrid precursor systems is analogous to those where co-surfactants or co-solvents are used, and that the lack of ordering in some cases can be explained by the change in solvent quality when using hybrid precursors. A comparison of structural characterization of the different phases using several tools, such as aggregate size distribution, density profiles, and pair radial distribution function is presented.     

Preparation of porous materials with ordered hole structure

This review paper investigates the synthesis of porous structures with controlled hole pattern and provides an overall view of the various factors involved when synthesizing such porous materials. The following factors are discussed: 1) various methods of synthesis to produce the porous structures; 2) materials which the porous structures are made of; 3) control of the pore structure; 4) various applications of such porous materials. The materials of the porous structures and the control of the pore structure will also be discussed separately under each different method, as these two factors are closely dependent on the method of fabrication.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy of template-stripped Au surfaces and highly ordered self-assembled monolayers

Template stripping of Au films in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) produces atomically flat and pristine surfaces that serve as substrates for highly ordered self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formation. Atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopy of template-stripped (TS) Au stripped in UHV confirms that the stripping process produces a flat, predominantly 111 textured, atomically clean surface. Octanethiol SAMs vapor deposited in situ onto UHV TS Au show a c(4 x 2) superlattice with (square root 3 x square root 3) R30 degrees basic molecular structure having an ordered domain size up to 100 nm wide. These UHV results validate the TS Au surface as a simple, clean and high-quality surface preparation method for SAMs deposited from both vapor phase and solution phase.     

Comparative thermogravimetric and adsorption study of highly ordered mesoporous materials

A comparative study was carried out for highly ordered mesoporous materials using high resolution thermogravimetry (HR-TG) and adsorption techniques. These materials were synthesized with mixed surfactants of various alkyl chain lengths. For thermogravimetry measurements n-butanol was used to probe the adsorbent surface and high-resolution TG curves as well as their 1st and 2nd derivatives were obtained for this probe molecule. It is shown that the values of the mesopore volume and specific surface area evaluated from TG data are in a good agreement with those evaluated from low-temperature nitrogen adsorption isotherms. This comparative study was performed to confirm the usefulness of the HR-TG technique as an alternative method for evaluation of the mesopore volume and specific surface area of ordered mesoporous materials.     

Nature of capillary condensation and evaporation processes in ordered porous materials

We report on a detailed experimental study of capillary condensation-evaporation processes of N(2) in ordered mesoporous SBA-15 silica. We have carried out measurements of boundary hysteresis loops, reversal curves, and subloops in order to test whether this material behaves as an assembly of independent cylindrical pores open at both ends. With these data, we come to the conclusion that, whereas the boundary hysteresis loop has the classical shape of type H1 associated with condensation-evaporation in cylindrical pores open at both ends, the capillary evaporation does not take place at equilibrium as it is generally assumed. Moreover, the pores do not desorb independently of one another.     

Micro-BLMs on highly ordered porous silicon substrates: rupture process and lateral mobility

In a recent paper, we hypothesized that the continuous increase in membrane conductance observed for nano-BLMs is the result of an independent rupturing of single membranes or membrane patches covering the pores of the porous material. To prove this hypothesis, we prepared micro-BLMs on porous silicon substrates with a pore size of 7 mum. The upper surface of the silicon substrate was coated with a gold layer, followed by the chemisorption of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphothioethanol (DPPTE) and subsequent addition of a droplet of 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) dissolved in n-decane. The lipid membranes were fluorescently labeled and investigated by means of fluorescence microscopy and impedance spectroscopy. Impedance spectroscopy revealed the formation of pore-suspending bilayers with high membrane resistance. Increases in membrane capacitance and membrane conductance were observed. This increase in membrane conductance could be unambiguously related to the individual rupturing of membranes suspending the pores of the porous material as visualized by means of fluorescence microscopy. Moreover, by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments, we investigated the lateral mobility of the lipids within the micro-BLMs leading to a mean effective diffusion coefficient of Deff = (14 +/- 1) microm2/s.     

Fast preparation of highly ordered nonsiliceous mesoporous materials via mixed inorganic precursors

Employing metal alkoxide as the main inorganic precursor and anhydrous metal chloride as the pH 'adjustor' and hydrolysis-condensation 'controller', very fast preparation of ordered nonsiliceous mesoporous materials has been demonstrated.     

A hierarchically ordered porous novel vanado-silicate catalyst for highly efficient oxidation of bulky organic molecules

A novel hierarchically ordered porous vanado-silicate nanocomposite with interconnecting macroporous windows and meso-microporous walls containing well dispersed vanadyl species has been fabricated and used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of a bulky organic molecule, namely cyclooctene.     

A highly ordered hydrogen-bonded network

Self-assembled, hydrogen bonded, supramolecular complexes based on the interaction of pyridine with carboxylic acids have been synthesized. These contain different proportions of a compound with two terminal benzoic acid residues and a pentaerythritol-based tetra-pyridyl. They have been investigated for possible mesomorphic properties. Surprisingly for a tetrahedral pentaerythritol-based complex, a mesophase was observed with a grainy microscopic texture, which was fluid and could be sheared. The mesogenic unit is formed on hydrogen bonding complexation between the pyridyl residues and the carboxylic acid residues. Infrared spectra, as a function of the temperature, were recorded for the 1:1 complex; these show pyridyl complexation and changes on isotropisation. These changes are discussed in terms of the hydrogen bonding. Fibres could be drawn from the (mesophase) melt, supporting a polymeric, extended-chain structure for the complexes.     

Solid-state transformation from self-assembled nanosheets into ordered nanorods

ZnO nanostructures, with a rich collection of morphologies and spatial organizations useful in a variety of important applications, have been synthesized mainly via solution- and gas-phase approaches. Here we report a simple calcination to convert self-assembled nanosheets of hydrated ZnO, each about 50 nm thick, to ordered ZnO nanorods (approximately 200 nm in diameter and approximately 4 microm in length) on glass substrates or on ZnO microcrystals through a quick calcination at 400 degrees C in air. This work is among the first using a pure solid-state transformation to convert one ordered precursory nanostructure to another with different morphology and spatial organization. Both the ordered nanorods and the self-assembled nanosheets could be useful in important applications including catalysis, sensing, gas storage, and drug delivery.     

Determination of the pore widths of highly porous materials with NMR microscopy

The quantitative characterization of macro-porous materials with regard to pore width and pore width distribution was accomplished for the first time by using ¹H-NMR microscopy in combination with suitable methods of digital image analysis. Here we present the newly developed algorithm and discuss the first experimental results. Large-pored glass filter systems filled with silicon oil as intrusion fluid were used as references. Silicates of unknown pore width were analyzed both with the new method and with Hg intrusion. NMR image data were recorded using a 3D spin echo sequence, which gave 128 slice images with a spatial resolution of 14.5 μm × 14.5 μm within each slice, with a slice-thickness of 37 μm or 48 μm. A quantitative evaluation of the 3D NMR data, with regard to pore width and pore width distribution, was done using the appropriate image processing function of the HORUS program. Individual slice evaluation was performed first, followed by an analysis of the binding elements between the slices. Pore widths of the glass filters determined using this analytical algorithm were in accordance with the manufacturer’s values, and silicate pore widths were in good agreement with the values determined by Hg intrusion. Received: 4 June 1996 / Revised: 12 August 1996 / Accepted: 15 August 1996     

Determination of the pore widths of highly porous materials with NMR microscopy

The quantitative characterization of macro-porous materials with regard to pore width and pore width distribution was accomplished for the first time by using ¹H-NMR microscopy in combination with suitable methods of digital image analysis. Here we present the newly developed algorithm and discuss the first experimental results. Large-pored glass filter systems filled with silicon oil as intrusion fluid were used as references. Silicates of unknown pore width were analyzed both with the new method and with Hg intrusion. NMR image data were recorded using a 3D spin echo sequence, which gave 128 slice images with a spatial resolution of 14.5 μm × 14.5 μm within each slice, with a slice-thickness of 37 μm or 48 μm. A quantitative evaluation of the 3D NMR data, with regard to pore width and pore width distribution, was done using the appropriate image processing function of the HORUS program. Individual slice evaluation was performed first, followed by an analysis of the binding elements between the slices. Pore widths of the glass filters determined using this analytical algorithm were in accordance with the manufacturer’s values, and silicate pore widths were in good agreement with the values determined by Hg intrusion. Received: 4 June 1996 / Revised: 12 August 1996 / Accepted: 15 August 1996     

Magnetically ordered molecule-based materials

Magnets composed of molecular components that provide both electron spins and spin-coupling pathways can stabilize bulk magnetic ordering. This was first reported for the ionic, zero-dimensional (0-D) electron transfer salt [Fe(C(5)Me(5))(2)](+)[TCNE]˙(-) (TCNE = tetracyanoethylene), which orders as a ferromagnet at T(c) = 4.8 K. Later V[TCNE](x) (x ～ 2) was characterized to order above room temperature at 400 K (127 °C). Subsequently, numerous examples of organic- and molecule-based magnets have been characterized. In this critical review, after a discussion of the important aspects of magnetism pertaining to molecule-based magnets, including the determination of the magnetic ordering temperature (T(c)) these magnetically ordered materials are reviewed from a perspective of the structural dimensionality (208 references).     

Fabrication of highly ordered porous membranes of cellulose triacetate on ice substrates using breath figure method

Highly ordered porous membranes of cellulose triacetate (CTA) were prepared successfully on ice substrates using breath figure method. The pore size and structure of the membrane were modulated by changing CTA concentrations and substrate materials. As the CTA concentration in the casting solution increased, the pore size in the formed membrane decreased. The regularity of the membrane cast on the ice substrate was much better than that of the membrane cast on glass substrate, because the low temperature of ice substrate slowed down the evaporation rate of organic solvent, which offered enough time for condensed water droplets to self‐organize into an ordered array dispersed in the polymer solution before their coagulation. The ordered porous CTA membrane was not only used for microfiltration, but also used for fabrication of functional microstructures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 552–558     

Charge transport through polyene self-assembled monolayers from multiscale computer simulations

We combine first-principles density-functional theory with matrix Green's function calculations to predict the structures and charge transport characteristics of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of four classes of systems in contact with Au(111) electrodes: conjugated polyene chains (n = 4, 8, 12, 16, and 30) thiolated at one or both ends and saturated alkane chains (n = 4, 8, 12, and 16) thiolated at one or both ends. For the polyene SAMs, we find no decay in the current as a function of chain length and conclude that these 1-3 nm long polyene SAMs act as metallic wires. We also find that the polyene-monothiolate leads to a contact resistance only 2.8 times higher than that for the polyene-dithiolate chains, indicating that the device conductance is dominated by the properties of the molecular connector with less importance in having a second molecule-electrode contact. For the alkane SAMs, we observe the normal exponential decay in the current as a function of the chain length with a decay constant of beta(n) = 0.82 for the alkane-monothiolate and 0.88 for the alkane-dithiolate. We find that the contact resistance for the alkane-monothiolate is 12.5 times higher than that for the alkane-dithiolate chains, reflecting the extra resistance due to the weak contact on the nonthiolated end. These contrasting charge transport characteristics of alkane and polyene SAMs and their contact dependence are explained in terms of the atomic projected density of states.     

Synthesis of ordered mesoporous carbonaceous materials and their highly efficient capture of uranium from solutions

An extremely effortless method was applied for successful synthesis of mesoporous carbonaceous materials(MCMs) using well-ordered mesoporous silica as template. Various characterizations(scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), Brunner-Emmet-Teller(BET) and Zeta potential) confirmed that MCMs had large surface area, uniform pore size distribution, and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups. The batch techniques were employed to study U(VI) adsorption on MCMs under a wide range of experiment conditions. The adsorption kinetics of U(VI) onto MCMs were well-fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating a chemisorption process. The excellent adsorption capacity of MCMs calculated from the Langmuir model was 293.95 mg g~(-1) at pH 4.0. The FT-IR and XPS analyses further evidenced that the binding of U(VI) onto MCMs was ascribed to the plentiful adsorption sites(–OH and –COOH groups) in the internal mesoporous structure, which could efficiently trap guest U(VI) ions. The results presented herein revealed that MCMs were ideal adsorbents in the efficient elimination of uranium or other lanthanides/actinides from aqueous solutions, which would play an important role in environmental pollution management application.