Preparation and Characteristics of Porous Silica Films by a Modified Base-Catalyzed Sol-Gel Process Containing PVA: II. Film Preparation

Porous SiO₂ films were successfully deposited on silicon substrates by a modified base-catalyzed Sol-Gel process (MBCP) containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The process conditions, such as the gelation time, the synthesis temperature, the stabilizing agent of the precursor solution and the spin coating speed, the heat-treatment, the annealing temperature of the film on the microstructure and porosity of porous SiO₂ films were systematically investigated by SEM, XRD and ellipsometry techniques. This study provides a novel preparation technique for the porous SiO₂ film. Using this process, the resultant film can reach a thickness of 3.6 m for one layer, a porosity of 25–50%, a low thermal conductivity of 0.11 W/m·K. This film will be used as a low dielectric layer, an thermal-insulating layer and a low refractive index layer.     

Preparation of Cu/SiO2 Catalyst by Solution Exchange of Wet Silica Gel

Structural formation process of Ni/SiO₂ and Cu/SiO₂ catalysts prepared by solution exchange of wet silica gel was investigated. Microstructures of Cu/SiO₂ and Ni/SiO₂ were quite different from each other. In the case of Cu/SiO₂, Cu particles with diameter of ca. 3–5 nm dispersed homogeneously at less Cu content, and the particle size of Cu as well as pore size of silica gel support increased with increasing Cu content. In the Ni/SiO₂, the Ni particles with diameter of ca. 6–10 nm gathered densely to form aggregates in silica matrix resulting in sea-island structure, whereas the size of Ni particle slightly increased with increasing Ni content. The difference in the structure of the metal-silica composites is probably caused by the difference in interaction between silica gel network and metal ions during drying and heating processes.     

Synthesis of nanosized TiO2/SiO2 particles using microwave processes and their photocatalytic activity on the decomposition of orange II

The nanosized titania and TiO₂/SiO₂ particles were prepared by the microwave-hydrothermal method. The effect of physical properties TTIP/TEOS ratio and calcination temperature has been investigated. The major phase of the pure TiO₂ particle is of the anatase structure, and a rutile peak was observed above 800°C. In TiO₂/SiO₂ particles, however, no significant rutile phase was observed, although the calcination temperature was 900°C. No peaks for the silica crystal phase were observed at either silica/titania ratio. The crystallite size of TiO₂/SiO₂ particles decreases as compared to pure TiO₂ at high calcination temperatures. The TiO₂/SiO₂ particles show higher activity on the photocatalytic decomposition of orange II as compared to pure TiO₂ particles.     

Fissuring and Fragmentation Removal During Sol–Gel Catalytic Materials Synthesis: An Experimental Design Approach

Statistical designs were used to investigate the effects of various processing conditions on the fissuring and/or fragmentation of sol–gel catalytic materials. Three types of sol–gel materials were studied: SiO₂, TiO₂-doped SiO₂ and CeO₂-doped SiO₂. Five processing variables were investigated: the quantity of water included in the sol–gel preparation, the amount of TiO₂ or CeO₂ precursors, the mixing time, the gelation time and the influence of treatment in an oven at 40C prior to the heating treatment (pre-heating time). Processing variables were set at high and low limits in three different 2⁴ full-factorial designs. As notable results, the water content appeared to be a critical processing variable in every studied factorial designs. Pre-heating time was also significant for SiO₂ gels. Finally the amount of CeO₂ precursor and the gelation time were found to be influential for the synthesis of non-cracked CeO₂-doped SiO₂ sol–gel monoliths.     

Synthesis and electromagnetic properties of polyaniline-coated silica/maghemite nanoparticles

Polyaniline coated silica/maghemite nanoparticles (PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites) were synthesized by the combination of a sol-gel process and an in-situ polymerization method, in which ferrous and ferric salts as well as tetraethyl orthosilica (TEOS) acted as the precursor for γ-Fe₂O₃ and silica, respectively. As a result, the SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ particle showed a core-shell structure, with γ-Fe₂O₃ as the magnetic core and silica as the shell of the particle. The shell thickness can be controlled by changing the TEOS concentration. The PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites revealed a multilayer core-shell structure, where PANI is the outer shell of the composite. The doping level and the conductivity of PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites decreased with increasing the TEOS content due to the presence of the less coated PANI on the SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ core at higher TEOS content. For a SQUID analysis at room temperature, all γ-Fe₂O₃ containing composites showed a typical superparamagnetic behavior. The saturation magnetization of SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles decreased with increasing the TEOS content due to the increase in silica shell thickness, while the saturation magnetization of PANI/SiO₂/γ-Fe₂O₃ composites also decreased with increasing the TEOS content, which is attributed to the lower conductivity of PANI in the composites at higher TEOS content.     

Modeling the active centers of V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> and V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> supported catalysts. DFT theoretical analysis of optical properties

Within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT), the electronic structure of monooxodioxovanadium functional groups in tetrahedral coordination, which model the active centers (ACs) of fine supported catalysts V₂O₅/SiO₂ and V₂O₅/TiO₂, has been analyzed. The optimal structures of three ACs as possible models of monomeric and polymeric oxovanadium forms on the carriers with low vanadium content were determined. The modified DFT method involving the time dependence of Kohn-Sham equation (TDDFT) was used for the adopted AC models to calculate the energies of the excited states, and optical spectra of the absorption in 25000–60000 cm^?1 region were reconstructed on their base. The spectrum in this region is due to O → V charge transfer. The features of electronic spectra with the charge transfer for V₂O₅/SiO₂ and V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalysts and the vibrational spectra of three AC models corresponding to the monomeric and dimeric oxovanadium forms of the supported catalysts V₂O₅/SiO₂ and V₂O₅/TiO₂ were defined. The detailed interpretation of normal vibration frequencies is given. The frequencies typical of the monomeric and dimeric oxovanadium forms on the carrier surface were identified.     

Optical Application of (Pigmented) Sol-Gel Coatings

The performance of the anti-reflection stack antimony-doped tin oxide/SiO₂ improves considerably if the refractive index of the SiO₂ layer decreases from 1.45 to 1.41 by the introduction of porosity. Porosity can be introduced by the addition of high-boiling co-solvents (or templates e.g. sebacates) to the coating liquid. Fine-tuning of the liquid composition allows the formation of a homogeneous, non-scattering SiO₂ layer with a refractive index of 1.41 and pencil hardness of H7-H8 on large screens (diagonal >1 meter) if a curing temperature of 160°C was used.Another interesting application is the formation of transparent, strongly coloured layers on lamp bulbs. Due to the high operating temperatures, strict requirements are placed on the matrix material and the pigment used. Inorganic pigments have good temperature stability, but their colour saturation is weaker than that of organic pigments, demanding the formation of relatively thick coatings. In order to achieve this, Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) was used as matrix material precursor. Fully transparent, temperature-resistant coatings were developed.     

Thermal Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition of Si-Based Ceramic Coatings from Liquid Precursors

In this paper a process based on the use of rf inductively coupled plasma is applied for the synthesis and deposition of Si-base ceramic materials (i.e., SiC, Si₃N₄, SiO₂). The starting materials are low-cost liquid disilanes. The atomization process is first investigated and the structure of the resulting coatings is characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy as well as with transmission electron microscopy. Results of the influence of some processing parameters (i.e., chamber pressure, spray distance, substrate cooling, plasma gas nature and composition, precursor composition and atomization parameters) on the phase and microstructure of the coating is reported. Control of the microstructure (or nanostructure) as well as the phase content, namely the / ratio of the phases for SiC and Si3N4, can be achieved with such a synthesis and deposition technique.     

共沉淀法和模板法制备均匀负载CeO2/ SiO2的研究

CeO2是三效催化剂(简称TWC)中被广泛应用的涂层材料[1],其优良的储放氧能力(OSC)可以扩大TWC的工作窗口,并可以在与γ-Al2O3的相互作用中提高Al2O3的高温稳定性[2]。在高温下,CeO2会因晶粒迅速长大而失去储放氧能力。为了提高CeO2的高温抗烧结能力,以及进一步提高其氧化还原能力,大部分研究者选择了在CeO2晶格中掺入其他离子的方法,如:Zr4 、Pr3 、La3 等[3￣5],这些离子在CeO2晶格中引入了晶格缺陷,不但稳定了结构,而且提高了氧传输能力。SiO2具有很高的化学稳定性、高比表面及高热稳定性,是载体的理想选择。研究表明,CeO2负载…     

Ultra-low expansion glass from gels

Pyrolysis of mixed titanium and silicon metal halides produces a commercial glass (7.4% TiO₂) with ultra-low thermal expansion that is essentially zero over the temperature range of 0 to 300°C. A colloidal particulate gel process involving potassium silicate, titania sol and formamide gel reagent was found to produce glass compositions with similar low expansion behavior. Due to the strongly basic nature of the precursor solutions, special titania sols had to be prepared that were stable in these alkali silicate solutions. The preferred TiO₂ sols were those containing quaternary ammonium stabilizing counter-ions. These sols served not only as the source of homogeneously distributed titania, but they may also serve as nucleating species that contribute to particle growth and pore size control of the gel network. The large pore (0.3 µm) TiO₂/SiO₂ gel structures were easily dealkalized, dried and sintered to uncracked glass shapes. Plates up to 9.5 cm×6.6 cm× 0.5 cm thick and some intricate cast shapes were produced and their glass properties evaluated.     

Immobilization of glucose oxidase on rod-like and vesicle-like mesoporous silica for enhancing current responses of glucose biosensors

The use of rod-like and vesicle-like mesoporous SiO₂ particles for fabricating high performance glucose biosensors is reported. The distinctively high surface areas of mesoporous structures of SiO₂ rendered the adsorption of glucose oxidase (GOx) feasible. Both morphologies of SiO₂ enhanced the sensitivities of glucose biosensors, but by a factor of 36 for vesicle-like SiO₂ and 18 for rod-like SiO₂, respectively. The greater enhancement of vesicle-like SiO₂ can be accounted for by its higher specific surface area (509 m² g⁻¹) and larger total pore volume (1.49 cm³ g⁻¹). Interestingly, the current responses of GOx immobilized in interior channels of the mesoporous SiO₂ were enhanced much more than those of simple mixtures of GOx and the mesoporous SiO₂. This suggests that the enhancement of current responses arise not only from the high surface area of SiO₂ for high enzyme loading, but also from the improved enzyme activity upon its adsorption on mesoporous SiO₂. Also compared were the performances of glucose biosensors with GOx immobilized on mesoporous SiO₂ by physical adsorption and by covalent binding to 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) modified SiO₂ using glutaraldehyde as the cross-linker. The covalent binding approach resulted in higher enzyme loading but lower current sensitivity than with the physical adsorption.     

Etching Efficiency for Si and SiO2 by CF+x,F+, and C+ Ion Beams Extracted from CF4 Plasmas

Fluorocarbon (CF⁺ _x), fluorine (F⁺), and carbon (C⁺) ion beams with highcurrent density (50i<800 A/cm²) were irradiated to Si and SiO₂surfaces to investigate the influence of the ion species on the etchingefficiency. The ion beams were extracted from magnetized helicon-wave CF₄plasmas operated in pulsed modes. The CF⁺ ₃ beam had the largest etchingefficiency for Si at the same beam energy. When the same data weresummarized as a function of the momentum of the incident ion beam, thedifference in the etching efficiency became small, although the CF⁺ ₃ beamstill had a slightly larger etching efficiency. On the other hand, theetching efficiency for SiO₂ by the CF⁺ ₃ beam was larger than that by theother ion beams in the low-momentum region. In addition, in the low-momentumregion, the etching efficiency for SiO₂ by CF⁺ ₃ was larger than that forSi. These results suggest the high chemical reactivity of CF⁺ ₃ with SiO₂,leading to the high etching selectivity of SiO₂ over underlying Si in thefabrication of semiconductor devices.     

Growth Modes of SiO x Films Deposited by Evaporation and Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition on Polymeric Substrates

In order to study the very first stages of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of SiO₂ on polymer substrates, we used a distributed electron cyclotron resonance (DECR) reactor, with the substrate placed (I) in the active glow zone, (II) downstream therefrom, and (III) downstream, but shielded from photon emission (e.g., VUV) from the plasma. For comparison, we also study films deposited by physical vapor ddposition (PVD, thermal evaporation). To characterize the ultra-thin deposits, we used oxygen plasma etching combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). We elucidate the roles of various energetic species (VUV photons, ions, atomic oxygen, and other radicals) in the plasma during the earliest growth phase, and the origin of the interphase which is present between the deposited SiO₂ and the polymer substrate.     

Preparation and characterization of CuO/SiO2 and NiO/SiO2 with bimodal pore structure by sol-gel method

CuO/SiO₂ and NiO/SiO₂ with bimodal pore structure were prepared by sol-gel reactions of Tetra-methoxysilane (TMOS) and the respective metal nitrate in the presence of poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) with an average molecular weight of 10 000 and the catalyst of acetic acid. In this process, the interconnected macroporous morphology was formed when transitional structures of spinodal decomposition were frozen by the sol-gel transition of silica. The addition of copper and nickel into the silica-PEO system had a negligible effect on the morphology formation. In gel formation, it was found that NiO crystalline sizes in the samples increased with decreasing Si/Ni molar ratio. It was considered that PEO interacted with both silica and nickel cations. In the CuO/SiO₂ with the presence of PEO_, CuO crystalline sizes were larger than those of NiO/SiO_2. It was considered that there was no obvious interaction between the Cu cation and PEO, most of the copper ions in wet silica gel were present in the outer solution. They easily aggregated as copper salts in the drying process of wet gel and decomposed into CuO particles in heating. While in the CuO/SiO₂ with the absence of PEO, the Cu was selectively entrapped as small particles in the gel skeleton due to the interaction between Cu aqua complex and silica gel network.     

Densification of Sol-Gel Thin Films by Ultraviolet and Vacuum Ultraviolet Irradiations

Structural changes in SiO₂ and TiO₂ gel films were investigated using ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) irradiations. A significant compaction with dehydration of SiO₂ gel films was induced by irradiation of photons in the range of 9–18 eV. The refractive index and the shrinkage of the irradiated SiO₂ gel films were comparable to those obtained by sintering at 1000°C. Densification of TiO₂ gel films was also observed with irradiation of 5–14 eV photons. However, effects of the irradiation on TiO₂ gel were smaller that those on SiO₂ gel. The structural changes in the gel films are attributed to electronic excitations which are induced by irradiation with photons having higher energies than the bandgap of the oxides. The photo-induced effects are presumed to depend on the optical properties and structure of the gels.     

Hydrogenation of Benzonitrile on Sn-Pt/SiO2 Catalysts Prepared by Introducing SnEt4 to Pt/SiO2: Role of Tin

Liquid phase hydrogenation of benzonitrile was studied over Sn-Pt/SiO₂ catalysts prepared by introducing tetraethyl tin onto the 3 wt.% Pt/SiO₂ catalyst. Tin content of the catalysts ranged from 0.05 to 0.63 wt.%, whereas Sn/Pt surface atomic ratios determined by chemisorption measurements were between 0.1 to 3.5. Dibenzylamine selectivity influenced to a small extent by the level of conversion and the Sn/Pt ratio wasca. 75 %. The addition of tin to Pt in the range of (Sn/Pt)_surface = 0.50–1.25 led to an increase in the turnover frequency (TOF) by a factor of 2. TOF showed a maximum at a surface atomic ratio of Sn/Pt = 1. The enhancement of catalyst activity upon the addition of tin is explained by the formation of Sn⁺-Pt ensemble sites on the surface of bimetallic nanoclusters. It is suggested that highly dispersed positively charged tin species, by polarizing the triple bond, enhance the reactivity of the -CN group. Calcination at 300°C followed by re-reduction of the catalysts resulted in a monotonic decrease of specific activity with increasing Sn/Pt ratio.     

Synthesis and Polymerization Kinetics of Polystyrene Grafting using Azo-groups Bounded SiO2 as an Initiator

This work presents a new method for synthesis of inorganic/organic hybrid nanoparticles via the in-situ polymerization by the use of the azo-groups bounded silica nanoparticles as a radical initiator and styrene as a model vinyl-monomer. The synthesis and the structure of silica/polystyrene (SiO₂/PS), and the polymerization kinetics of the styrene initiated by the azo-groups bounded SiO₂ nanoparticles are studied with techniques such as FTIR, XPS, DSC, GPC, and TEM. Results show that the SiO₂-g-PS nanoparticles are synthesized successfully, and the resulting hybrid nanoparticles have a core-shell structure with SiO₂ in the core and the polystyrene on the outside layer. The percentage of the grafted PS on the SiO₂ surface increases with the progress of the polymerization before 6 h, and the largest amount of the grafted PS reaches 33% of the silica nanoparticles.

Consequently, the size of the nanoparticles increases ca. 20 nm upon the polystyrene grafting. The molecular weight of the grafted PS increases with the polymerization, and it has reached a much large value in the first several polymerization hours while it keeps a constant value approximately in the following polymerization process. Meanwhile, the polydispersity index of the grafted PS gradually increases with the progress of the polymerization. These phenomena agree with the theory of the traditional free radical polymerization very well.     

Formation and Crystallization Behavior of Gels in the Na2O-SiO2-TiO2-ZrO2 System

SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ and 5Na₂O·95(SiO₂ + TiO₂ + ZrO₂) gels were synthesized and role of Na₂O in gel formation and crystallization behavior of gels were studied. From Si(OC₂H₅)₄, Ti(iso-OC₃H₇)₄, Zr(n-OC₃H₇)₄ and NaOCH₃ solutions in EtOH without H₂O, transparent and opaque gels were obtained. Opaque bulk gels, rich in TiO₂ or ZrO₂ composition in Na₂O containing SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ system, contain agglomerated spherical particles of diameter small <10 m, in contrast with opaque gels having large particles <30 m in alkali-free SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ system. Crystallization temperature (Tc) was measured by DTA on dried gels. Compared with the alkali-free SiO₂-TiO₂-ZrO₂ gels, 5 mol% Na₂O containing gels gave lower Tc in SiO₂ rich compositions and higher in TiO₂ rich or ZrO₂ rich compositions.     

Deformation investigation on iPP/SiO2 composites: Influence of stretching temperature and particle size on morphology evolution and crystalline structure of thin films

 In the present work, structure changes during stretching of isotactic polypropylene (emPP) and emPP/silicon dioxide (SiO₂) composites have been investigated systematically. The α-form crystal structure of both iPP and emPP/SiO₂ composites is destroyed and transforms into the mesophase as the samples are stretched at a low temperature (35℃), while stretching at high temperatures (90℃ and 120℃) can restrain the appearance of defects and keep the perfection of crystal structure. FTIR results reveal that the stretching temperatures show no obvious difference of the effect on the orientation of pure iPP, however, the orientation of emPP/SiO₂ composites is greatly changed by the tensile temperature. In the case of micron-sized SiO₂ particles (average particle diameter d>1 μm), the orientation of the composites is lower than that of pure iPP at all stretching temperatures. The above results suggest that the stretching temperature and the SiO₂ particle size have great influence on the structure variation and orientation behavior of emPP/SiO₂ composites.     

表面活性剂模板在空气-水界面ZrO2薄膜中的稳定性

采用模板——十二烷基苯磺酸(DBS-H)在空气-水界面组装ZrO₂薄膜，研究了DBS-H在ZrO₂自组装薄膜中的水溶性、化学稳定性、热稳定性和光化学稳定性。模板的各类稳定性将直接控制ZrO₂薄膜结构，主要表现在层间距变化上。从模板与Na₂SiO₃反应的研究中获得了一种制备ZrO₂ / SiO₂复合氧化物薄膜的新方法，并推测出该复合薄膜的结构。