Sol-gel synthesis of porous and dense silica microspheres

An acidic silica sol (35 ± 2 wt% equivalent SiO₂) having a gelling time of 9-10 min has been used as an aqueous phase for obtaining a w/o emulsion in CCl₄ as oil phase in presence of a surfactant, Tween 80. The silica sol was allowed to form gel at room temperature via polycondensation among the -Si-OH groups forming the porous silica gel microspheres. The surface area of the microspheres heated at 500°, 700° and 900 °C was found to be 227 m²/g, 167 m²/g and 81 m²/g indicating the gradual densification. The decreased surface area and unchanged -Si-O-Si- asymmetric stretching vibration at 1084 cm⁻¹ up to 700 °C probably indicate the formation of extensive cross-linked gel structure in the microsphere. The appearance of the -Si-O-Si- asymmetric stretching vibration at 1104 cm⁻¹ and the absence of porosity while heating at 1000 °C indicate the formation of dense silica glass microspheres.     

Multigram scale synthesis and characterization of low-density silica xerogels

The synthesis of silica with preserved porosity and tailored morphology by sol–gel process can be achieved by hybrid organic–inorganic synthesis: a modified alkoxide, viz. 3-(2-aminoethylamino)propyltrimethoxysilane (EDAS), is introduced during the base catalysed synthesis with TEOS as main silica precursor. Additives with methoxy groups induce a nucleation mechanism because of their higher reactivity compared to main reagents with ethoxy groups. The nucleation model presented in previous papers was refined by taking into account the porosity of the particles and calculating the number of additive molecules by nucleus for each value of the ratio of additive/main reagent. The extrapolation of the synthesis process to semi-industrial scale goes through the replacement of laboratory grade reagents by industrial grade reagents and the scaling up to the production of higher quantities. At each of these two steps, the morphology and porosity of the samples has been compared to those of laboratory grade samples. It was shown that the texture and particle size has quasi totally been preserved.     

Silica xerogels of tailored porosity as support matrix for optical chemical sensors. Simultaneous effect of pH, ethanol:TEOS and water:TEOS molar ratios, and synthesis temperature on gelation time, and textural and structural properties

The sensing of a chemical environment is achieved mainly in the surface by interactions of the sensor material with its chemical surroundings. Therefore, porous structure control is key in developing good chemical sensors. The aim of this work was to obtain materials of tailored porosity to be used as support matrix for optical chemical sensors. We studied the simultaneous effect of pH, temperature, ethanol:TEOS, and water:TEOS molar ratios on gelation time, and textural and structural properties. We used a 2⁴ factorial design that evaluates the effect of each independent variable and their interactions. Samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, FTIR, and gas adsorption (N₂ at 77 K and CO₂ at 273 K). The gelation time decreased with increasing temperature, water:TEOS molar ratio, and pH; and with decreasing ethanol:TEOS molar ratios. Synthesis conditions also affected the xerogels porous textures. Xerogels obtained at pH 2.5 were ultramicroporous. In general, samples synthesized at pH 4.5 and ethanol:TEOS molar ratio of 2.25:1 were mesoporous, but the material is not appropriate for use as support in fiber optical sensors.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备CuAlO2微晶及其合成活化能研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法制备了铜铁矿结构的CuAlO2微晶,利用示差扫描量热法(DSC)对其合成活化能进行了初步研究;通过XRD、TEM等分析方法对CuAlO2微晶的物相组成和显微结构进行表征.结果表明,以乙酸铜、硝酸铝和乙二醇为反应原料,采用溶胶-凝胶法可以成功制备CuAlO2微晶.前躯体在烧结过程中,首先生成了CuAl2O4和CuO中间相,然后继续反应再形成了CuAlO2微晶.DSC分析表明CuAlO2的合成温度在1181 ℃左右,计算得到其合成活化能为88.25 kJ/mol.利用紫外-可见光谱分析,CuAlO2微晶的光学带隙约为3.85 eV.     

Synthesis and characterization of high nickel-containing mesoporous silica via a modified direct synthesis method

A method by modifying tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with nickel species has been developed for the synthesis of mesoporous silica with high nickel content (up to 14.7 wt% of Ni). Using the method, nickel-containing mesoporous materials were obtained with high BET surface area and pore volume. The materials were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption, Fourier transform infrared. Nickel species were incorporated into the silica frameworks. Formation of nickel phyllosilicates was also confirmed. After activation, mesostructures are still intact. Small nickel clusters embedded in the silica walls were found.     

High yield synthesis and characterization of well-ordered Mesoporous silica nanoparticles using Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose

In the present work, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with well-ordered hexagonal structure were synthesized using Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose. The MSNs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, powder XRD, nitrogen physisorption and Transmission electron microscopy. The MSNs were also functionalized with thiol groups and its capacity toward adsorption of a large cation, i.e. lead was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that MSNs have semi-spherical shapes. The XRD pattern of the calcined sample shows at least five well-defined peaks which point out that silicate nanoparticles have hexagonal array of pores as MCM-41 structure. The nitrogen adsorption isotherm displays a type IV isotherm according to the IUPAC classification. A sharp inflection in capillary condensation/evaporation step specifies that well-ordered MCM-41 nanoparticles were synthesized. TEM image shows the well-ordered hexagonal structure of MSNs. The adsorption capacity of functionalized MSNs was higher than functionalized MCM-41 in which one reason for such behavior might be explained by higher accessibility of pores of functionalized MSNs. This approach was carried out using relatively low-cost and nonhazardous reactants in concentrated reaction medium and also the yield of this approach was high up to 96% by weight.     

Porous silica alcogel matrix entrapped with liquid electrolyte: Ionic conductivity and growth of whiskers

Highly porous silica alcogel, with pores entrapped with liquid electrolyte solutions of KH₂PO₄, has been successfully prepared by hydrolysis and polycondensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) giving interesting “solid-liquid electrolyte composites”. The entrapped liquid electrolyte solution gives high liquid-like ionic conductivity (10⁻⁵ S·cm⁻¹). Further, on storage the entrapped solution slowly reaches the surface pore-heads where it evaporates resulting in the growth of long crystalline whiskers. Higher relative humidity (>60%) slows down the evaporation and has been found to be favorable for whisker growth.     

Synthesis via sol–gel process and characterization of novel organic–inorganic coatings

Organic–inorganic coatings were synthesized from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and vinyltriacetoxysilane (VTAS) via dual process involving sol–gel reaction and radical polymerization. The deposition of the films was carried out using the spin-coating technique with the sample holder spinning at 1500 rpm. In order to determine the nature of products formed during the sol–gel reaction (i.e. polymerization) and to study the kinetics of this reaction, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy experiments were performed. This technique allows also determining the optimal temperature of the final heat treatment. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study the influence of the ratio of organic and inorganic components on the thermal stability of the organic–inorganic hybrid, while differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine its glass transition temperature. The chemical structure of this prepared hybrid material is also studied using FTIR with attenuated total reflection (ATR) device.Finally, the homogeneity of the chemical composition of the synthesized materials was checked by using the elemental distributions obtained by an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Moreover, nanoindentation measurements on thin films show enhanced hardness and elastic modulus with increasing silicate network.     

Photoinduced degradation of fluorescence and formation of copper nanoparticles in sol-gel silica doped with flavins

Copper nanoparticles were formed by photoirradiation of doped sol-gel silica, which was prepared by mixing Cu²⁺ ions, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and riboflavin into sol-gel solutions of tetramethoxysilane. The doped silica exhibited broad absorption bands at 442 nm due to riboflavin and 740 nm due to Cu²⁺-EDTA complexes. After photoirradiation, the sol-gel silica showed a reddish brown color and the absorption peak around 580 nm due to the plasmon band of copper nanoparticles. Copper nanoparticles were also formed from other sol-gel silica doped with lumichrome or lumiflavin. The photostability of the flavins dyes obtained from the fluorescence intensities was in the order of lumichrome > lumiflavin > riboflavin in the sol-gel silica without Cu²⁺ ions. On the other hand, the fluorescence intensities were considerably reduced by photoirradiation of the sol-gel silica doped with Cu²⁺ ions, irrespective of the flavin dyes doped. Considering the absorption and fluorescence spectral changes during the photoirradiation, we concluded that copper nanoparticles are produced by the photoinduced electron transfer from the flavin dyes in the sol-gel silica.     

Size control and characterization of Au nanoparticle agglomeration during encapsulation in sol-gel matrices

Gold nanoparticles were encapsulated in sol-gel matrices with different amine cross-linker molecules in order to determine the cross-linker influence on nanoparticle agglomeration behaviour during encapsulation. The role of a stabilizing surfactant (SDS) was also investigated. The NP aggregate sizes were tracked using the UV surface plasmon resonance band (SPR), which red-shifts with increased particle size. It was found that use of long carbon chain cross-linkers such as 1,4-diaminobutane resulted in large Au NP aggregates, compared to short-chain analogs such as 1,2-diaminoethane, with which almost no agglomeration was observed. The SPR splitting pattern observed in samples with nanoparticle agglomeration is consistent with formation of nanodimensional objects with major and minor axes similar to nanowires during encapsulation within the cross-linked sol-gel material. The cross-linkers diethylenetriamine and triethylenetetraamine containing both terminal and internal amines demonstrated nanoparticle stabilization beyond that observed for similar sized diamine cross-linkers. This is ascribed to the multiple cross-linking sites available on these polyamines and the resulting reduction in matrix void volume.     

Sol–gel synthesis and optical properties of size controlled Indium Arsenide nanocrystals embedded in silica glasses

III–V semiconductor Indium Arsenide (InAs) nanocrystals embedded in silica glasses was synthesized by combining the sol–gel process and heat treatment in H₂ gas. The size of InAs nanocrystals can be easily controlled via changing the In and As content in the starting materials and the heating temperature in a H₂ gas atmosphere. Absorption measurements indicate a blue shift in energy with a reduction on the In and As content in the SiO₂ gel glasses as a result of quantum confinement effects. A near-infrared photoluminescence with peak at 3.40 μm was observed at 6 K under 514.5 nm Ar⁺ laser excitation from InAs nanocrystals embedded in the silica gel glasses.     

Preparation and characterization of ordered mesoporous silica membrane

Hexagonal mesoporous silica (MCM-41) membranes were prepared at air-water interface by means of an interfacial silica-surfactant self-assembly process. The free-standing and oriented mesoporous silica membranes with pore size ≈2.9-3.8 nm were synthesized at room temperature in acidic media and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations. Small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) patterns of membranes clearly indicated that as-synthesized membranes were typical of MCM-41 materials with a periodic hexagonal structure with the channels parallel to the surface. SEM images showed that the as-synthesized membrane was continuous and crack-free. In this paper, some novel findings are reported.     

Preparation and characterization of monolithic alumina aerogels

Alumina aerogels were prepared by a sol-gel method combined with the ethanol supercritical drying technique using aluminum tri-sec butoxide and nitric acid as the precursor and catalyzer respectively. This method affords high-surface-area alumina aerogel monoliths without the use of complexing agents. The structure and morphology of the aerogels were investigated by TEM, XRD, FTIR and BET techniques. The results confirmed that the as-prepared alumina aerogel possessed a network microstructure made up of pseudoboehmite fibers and a surface area of 690 m²/g. It was transformed to γ-Al₂O₃ after heat treatment at 800 °C without a significant loss in surface area. DMA analysis and hotdisk thermal analysis were performed to characterize the mechanical and thermal properties of the samples. The results indicated that the alumina aerogel was robust and exhibited excellent thermal insulating properties. The elastic modulus was up to 11.4 MPa after drying, which is the one of the highest modulus of alumina aerogels ever reported. The thermal conductivities at 30 °C and 400 °C were 0.028 W/mK and 0.065 W/mK respectively.     

Sol-gel synthesis of a new composition of bioactive glass in the quaternary system SiO2-CaO-Na2O-P2O5: Comparison with melting method

New sol-gel experimental conditions were tested to prepare a new SiO₂-based bioactive glass with high Na₂O content. The aim of this work is to investigate the real influence of the synthesis route (sol-gel versus melting) on the glass intrinsic properties and then, later, on the glass behavior and particularly on bioactivity. The obtained glass and its melt derived counterpart were characterized from structural and morphological (porosity, specific surface area) point of view. It could be noticed that the synthesis mode has no significant influence on glass structure. Conversely, the synthesis mode greatly influences the glass texture. The sol-gel derived glass exhibits a greatly higher specific surface area and pore volume than melt derived glass. This parameter may be a key factor of glass bioactivity.     

Structural, electrical, and optical properties of As2S3-Cu6PS5I nanocomposites

As₂S₃-Cu₆PS₅I nanocomposites are prepared by incorporation of nanocrystals of Cu₆PS₅I superionic conductor in As₂S₃ glass matrix. Their structural studies by scanning electronic microscopy are performed and the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites is investigated. The temperature dependence of the nanocomposite optical absorption edge is studied; a non-Urbach behaviour of the absorption edge is revealed. Influence of different types of disordering on the optical absorption edge is studied.     

Synthesis, characterization, and catalytic properties of a mesostructured lamellar xerogel tungsten oxide phase

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and n-hexadecylamine (HDA) have been used as template in the synthesis of a mesolamellar xerogel tungsten oxide phase (WO₃/CTAB/HDA). The catalytic properties of the resulting material were investigated in the oxidation of cis-cyclooctene, styrene, and cyclohexane, using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), terc-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH), or m-chlorperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) as oxygen transfer agent. In general, the catalytic results were comparable to those obtained with related systems, thus suggesting the potential application of this material as catalyst for epoxidation reactions.     

Characterization of surface and porous properties of synthetic hybrid lamellar silica

Synthetic lamellar silica and hybrid lamellar silicas have been prepared by liquid crystal templating, template extraction and silanization. The samples have been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), carbon analysis, spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption. The XRD analyses have shown that the lamellar periodic stacking is preserved for all samples. The quantity and type of organic molecules at the silica surface have been evaluated by carbon analysis, TGA and spectroscopy. The covalent grafting of the solvent used for extraction of the initial surfactant has been highlighted by these analyses. The nitrogen adsorption analyses have revealed three categories of pores and two types of samples. The initial lamellar silica exhibits a very low specific surface area and plate-like type of pores. The second type of samples is made up of the hybrid samples and the initial substrate from whom the surfactant has been extracted. These samples show a significantly higher specific surface area with interlamellar spaces corresponding to narrow-slit like mesopores around 4 nm. The nitrogen adsorption data analysis has highlighted the presence of micropores within the silica sheets. The difference of the specific surface is due to pore blocking by the surfactant impeding the access to nitrogen into interlamellar spaces and by the silanes covering the pores once the surface modified. The presence of micro and mesopores combined to a high BET specific surface of 612 m²/g makes these lamellar silicas interesting materials for catalysis applications.     

Preparation and characterization of ZnO-TiO2 films obtained by sol-gel method

The sol-gel route has been applied to obtain ZnO-TiO₂ thin films. For comparison, pure TiO₂ and ZnO films are also prepared from the corresponding solutions. The films are deposited by a spin-coated method on silicon and glass substrates. Their structural and vibrational properties have been studied as a function of the annealing temperatures (400-750 °C). Pure ZnO films crystallize in a wurtzite modification at a relatively low temperature of 400 °C, whereas the mixed oxide films show predominantly amorphous structure at this temperature. XRD analysis shows that by increasing the annealing temperatures, the sol-gel Zn/Ti oxide films reveal a certain degree of crystallization and their structures are found to be mixtures of wurtzite ZnO, Zn₂TiO₄, anatase TiO₂ and amorphous fraction. The XRD analysis presumes that Zn₂TiO₄ becomes a favored phase at the highest annealing temperature of 750 °C. The obtained thin films are uniform with no visual defects. The optical properties of ZnO-TiO₂ films have been compared with those of single component films (ZnO and TiO₂). The mixed oxide films present a high transparency with a slight decrease by increasing the annealing temperature.     

The synthesis and structural characterization of silyl-substituted fluorenes

Three silyl-substituted fluorenes have been prepared by direct synthetic methods and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. The three silyl-substituted fluorenes studied were 9-trimethylsilylfluorene (1), 9-(tert-butyldimethyl)silylfluorene (2), and 2,7-di-tert-butyl-9-trimethylsilylfluorene (3). Complex 1 is orthorhombic, P2₁2₁2₁, a = 6.2681(14) Å, b = 14.329(3) Å, c = 15.231(4) Å, Z = 4. Complex 2 is monoclinic, P2₁/c, a = 12.1953(10) Å, b = 6.9977(6) Å, c = 19.6536(17) Å, = 93.818(2), Z = 4. Complex 3 is monoclinic, P2₁/c, a = 11.9954(9) Å, b = 9.8978(7) Å, c = 18.5464(13) Å, = 92.456(2), Z = 4. The long carbon–silicon bonds effectively remove any significant intramolecular interactions as little distortion is exhibited around the sp ³-carbon atom and the fluorenyl backbone demonstrates near planarity. The bulky silicon substituents also prevent intermolecular interactions, as only a few close contacts less than 4.0 Å exist in all three solid state structures.