Deposition of silver nanoparticles into porous system of sol–gel silica monoliths and properties of silver/porous silica composites

Porous monolithic gels based on silica with pore size from 16 nm to 3–5 μm have been synthesized using sol–gel technology. Parameters of porous structure are determined by the components molar ratio in the reaction mixture. The reduction processes of silver ions by formamide in the synthesized porous gel were studied. It has been shown that at the initial stage of the reaction, silver particles with size up to 10 nm are formed in the absence of any stabilizers. The composites Ag/SiO₂ were synthesized by means of the threefold impregnation of porous monoliths using the solution of silver nitrate in the mixture of methanol and formamide. Their catalytic activity in the CO oxidation was studied. It was discovered that after activation in oxygen and hydrogen the samples display a low temperature activity, which depends on the number of Si–O-nonbridging oxygen groups on the surface of silica porous monoliths.     

Crystallization of inorganic silica based on interaction between polyimide and silica by sol–gel method

Crystalline silica in cristobalite phase was successfully prepared at a relatively low temperature of 800 °C by calcinating polyimide/silica hybrid films under ambient air. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that the product is silica after calcination. It is found that the crystallinity is dependent on the removing rate and the strength of the interaction between polyimide and silica. The presence of polyimide plays an important role in the growth of silica. Calcination to remove polyimide with rapid heating results in lower crystallinity compared with calcination with slow heating. For samples with the same content of silica, the crystallinity changes with the strength of the interaction between polyimide and silica molecules.     

Sol–gel synthesis and structure of silica hybrid materials

In this work the research results on the sol–gel synthesis and structure of silica nanocomposites, containing carrageenan and their application as carriers for cell immobilization were described. The samples were prepared at room temperature by replacing different quantity of the inorganic precursor with κ-carrageenan. For studying the structure of the synthesized hybrids the following methods were used: FT-IR, XRD, BET-Analysis, SEM, AFM and Roughness Analysis. The influence of the type of silicon precursors, nature and quantity of organic component on the structure, surface area, design and size of nanostructures was established. The possibility of application of the synthesized biocatalysts in an enzyme degradation process of the toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic substances benzonitrile, fumaronitrile, o-, m-, and p-tolunitriles was investigated at batch experiments. A two-step biodegradation process in a column bioreactor of fumaronitrile was followed. After operation of the system for 8 h at a flow rate 45 mL h^?1 and at 60 °C, the overall conversion was 89%, showing a good stability of the developed process.     

Structural studies of gel phases—IV. An infrared reflectance and Fourier transform Raman study of silica and silica/titania gel glasses

Infrared reflectance and Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy have been used to study silica and silica/titania monoliths produced by the sol—gel route which had been subjected to a series of heat treatments. With increasing thermal treatment temperature, the gel—glass matrix is strengthed by bond shortening and a reduction in mean SiOSi bond angle and angular distribution for this feature. Results obtained at a range of temperatures were in good agreement to those obtained for vitreous silica. The incorporation of low levels (3% by weight) of titanium led to more disordered glasses which contain titanium in tetrahedral sites only. Evidence was obtained for the formation of SiOTi bonds, principally during the latter stages of densification at temperatures between 615 and 1000°C.     

Sol–gel transition and rheological properties of silica nanoparticle dispersions

Possible variants of the rheological behavior of silica model dispersions have been analyzed. Different types of interaction between the particles and a dispersion medium make it possible to obtain different systems from low-viscosity sols to gels. Proton-donor (water) and aprotic (dimethyl sulfoxide) media have been used for comparison. Dispersions in the aprotic medium behave as non-Newtonian viscous fluids exhibiting shear thinning or shear thickening depending on deformation rate. Aqueous dispersions are viscoelastic and viscoplastic objects that exhibit the shear thickening at stresses higher than the yield stress. The introduction of small amounts of poly(ethylene oxide) into the organic dispersion medium initiates gelation. An increase in the polymer content in the dispersion medium above the concentration corresponding to the formation of a macromolecular network promotes an increase in stiffness and strength of the gels. The rheological behavior of gels is influenced by the polymer molecular mass and its affinity for a solvent.     

Synthesis and properties of Co–Pt alloy silica core-shell particles

This paper describes a method for fabrication of silica-coated Co–Pt alloy nanoparticles in a liquid phase process. The Co–Pt nanoparticles were prepared from CoCl₂ (4.2 × 10⁻⁵ M), H₂PtCl₆ (1.8 × 10⁻⁵ M), citric acid (4 × 10⁻⁴ M) and NaBH₄ (1.2 × 10⁻² M) with a Co:Pt mole ratio of 7:3. The silica coating was performed in water/ethanol solution with a silane coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (8 × 10⁻⁵ M), and a silica source, tetraethoxyorthosilicate (7.2 × 10⁻⁴ M) in the presence of the Co–Pt nanoparticles. Observations with a transmittance electron microscope and a scanning transmission electron microscope revealed that the Co-rich and Pt-rich nanoparticles were coated with silica. According to X-ray diffraction measurements, core particles were crystallized to metallic Co crystallites and fcc Co–Pt alloy crystallites with annealing in air at 300–500 °C. Magnetic properties of the silica-coated particles were strongly dependent on annealing temperature. Maximum values of 11.4 emu/g-sample for saturation magnetization and 365 Oe for coercive field were obtained for the particles annealed at 300 and 500 °C, respectively. Annealing at a temperature as high as 700 °C destroyed the coating structures because of crystallization of silica shell, resulting in reduction in saturation magnetization and coercive field.     

Radiation-induced polymerization and grafting of β(−)pinene on silica surface

Poly-β-pinene (pBp) was obtained on silica surface by γ radiation-induced polymerization of β(−)pinene in presence of silica gel with a specific surface area of 300 m²/g. Different radiation doses were employed in the range 50–332 kGy. The pBp–silica hybrid samples obtained have been characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and the amount of pBp on silica surface has been determined both by gravimetric and TGA measurements. The fraction of pBp chemically grafted on silica surface has been determined by the extraction of the pBp–silica hybrid with boiling toluene and was found to be 10–20% of the total pBp formed on silica surface. The optical activity of pBp extracted from the hybrid was studied by polarimetric measurements and found slightly lower than the typical specific optical rotation of pBp polymerized in bulk with radiation. The thermal stability of the pBp–silica hybrid materials was studied by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The results show lower thermal stability for the pBp–silica hybrid in comparison to pure pBp. Evidently, silica catalyzes the thermal decomposition of pBp at lower temperatures. Use of the pBp–silica hybrid as stationary phase for liquid chromatography for chiral separations has been proposed.     

Preparation of polystyrene/silica nanocomposites by radical copolymerization of styrene with silica macromonomer

A two-stage process has been developed to generate the silica-based macromonomer through surface-modification of silica with polymerizable vinyl groups. The silica surfaces were treated with excess 2,4-toluene diisocynate (TDI), after which the residual isocyanate groups were converted into polymerizable vinyl groups by reaction with hydroxypropylacrylate (HPA). Thus, polystyrene/silica nanocomposites were prepared by conventional radical copolymerization of styrene with silica macromonomer. The main effecting factors, such as ratios of styrene to the macromonomer, together with polymerization time on the copolymerization were studied in detail. FTIR, DSC and TGA were utilized to characterize the nanocomposites. Experimental results revealed that the silica nanoparticles act as cross-linking points in the polystytene/silica nanocomposites, and the glass transition temperatures of the nanocomposites are higher than that of the corresponding pure polystyrene. The glass transition temperatures of nanocomposites increased with the increasing of silica contents, which were further ascertained by DSC.     

Effects of heat treatment on the aggregation and charging of Stöber-type silica

Measuring and modeling the surface charge of clays, and more especially smectites, has become an important issue in the use of bentonites as a waste confinement material aimed at retarding migration of water and solutes. Therefore, many studies of the acid-base properties of montmorillonite have appeared recently in the literature, following older studies principally devoted to cation exchange. It is striking that beyond the consensus about the complex nature of the surface charge of clays, there are many discrepancies, especially concerning the dissociable charge, that prevents intercomparison among the published data. However, a general trend is observed regarding the absence of common intersection point on raw titration curves at different ionic strengths. Analysis of the literature shows that these discrepancies originate from the experimental procedures for the preparation of the clays and for the quantification of their surface charge. The present work is an attempt to understand how these procedures can impact the final results. Three critical operations can be identified as having significant effects on the surface properties of the studied clays. The first one is the preparation of purified clay from the raw material: the use of acid or chelation treatments, and the repeated washings in deionized water result in partial dissolution of the clays. Then storage of the purified clay in dry or wet conditions strongly influences the equilibria in the subsequent experiments respectively by precipitation or enhanced dissolution. The third critical operation is the quantification of the surface charge by potentiometric titration, which requires the use of strong acids and bases. As a consequence, besides dissociation of surface sites, many secondary titrant consuming reactions were described in the literature, such as cation exchange, dissolution, hydrolysis, or precipitation. The cumulated effects make it difficult to derive proper dissociation constants, and to build adequate models. The inadequation of the classical surface complexation models to describe the acid-base behavior of clays is illustrated by the electrokinetic behavior of smectites, which is independent from the pH and the ionic strength. Therefore, there is still a need on one hand for accurate data recorded in controlled conditions, and on the other hand for new models taking into account the complex nature of the charge of clays.     

Synthesis and characterization of amino-functionalized single magnetic core–silica shell composites

The thermal decomposition approach, reverse micro-emulsion system and surface modification technique had been successfully used to synthesis single magnetic core Fe₃O₄@Organic Layer@SiO₂–NH₂ complex microspheres. The magnetization of the magnetic microspheres core could be easily tuned between 28 and 56 emu/g by adjusting the amount of 2-mercaptobarbituric acid. It was found that the Organic Layer to some extent had a protective effect on avoiding Fe₃O₄ being oxidized into Fe₂O₃. Each Fe₃O₄@Organic Layer microsphere could be coated uniformly by about 30 nm of silica shell. The average diameter of the Fe₃O₄@Organic Layer@SiO₂ composites was about 538 nm. The saturation magnetization of the Fe₃O₄@Organic Layer@SiO₂ complex microspheres was 12.5% less than magnetic microspheres cores. The Fe₃O₄@Organic Layer@SiO₂–NH₂ composites possessed a huge application potentiality in specificity enriching and separating biological samples.     

Preparation and characterization of epoxy–silica networks chemically bonded through aminophenyl-trimethoxysilane

Epoxy–silica hybrids with interfacial bonding using aminophenyl-trimethoxysilane (APTMOS) have been prepared by the sol–gel process. In a sequential polymerization procedure the amine groups present on the APTMOS were used to partially cure diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) whereas the methoxy groups created silica-network simultaneously, through the sol–gel process. Complete curing and cross-linking were carried out later using curing agent jeffamine D-400 at higher temperature. The nature of silica network structure chemically bonded with the epoxy chains was studied by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and the morphology of the hybrid through scattering electron and atomic force microscopies. The visco-elastic properties of the resulting hybrids were measured through dynamical thermal mechanical analysis. The effect of inter-phase bonding of the resulting hybrids and their thermal mechanical properties are compared with the similar DGEBA epoxy matrix where un-bonded silica network was produced from tetraethoxysilane. The properties of the hybrids using APTMOS show considerable improvement in thermal mechanical properties and the coefficient of thermal expansion is reduced in contrast to the un-compatiblized system.     

Redox-active silica nanoparticles. Part 6. Synthesis and spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of viologen-modified Stöber silica particles with diameters of approximately 125 nm

The synthesis of Stöber silica particles and their redox behavior after viologen modification are reported. The particles were synthesized using high reaction temperatures and a postsynthetic calcination step to yield nonporous silica spheres with d of approximately 125 nm and low polydispersity. As the immobilization strategy, the condensation of surface hydroxyl groups with an alkoxysilane-substituted viologen modifier was chosen. The successful attachment was confirmed by ¹³C-CP/MAS-NMR and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared as well as UV/Vis and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The surface concentration was estimated to be between 48 and 100  $\upmu$ mol/g. The modified material is redox-active. Differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry experiments in nonaqueous solvents at Pt and mercaptopropionic acid-modified gold electrodes reveal two separated and pronounced signals of the first and second reduction of the viologen unit. The observed potentials are in good agreement with those of the free modifier. Furthermore, the treatment of the viologen-modified material with Na₂S₂O₄ leads to the formation of a nanoparticulate silica material with stable free radicals located at the particle surface. In addition, such radicals are generated by the in situ electrolysis at Pt net electrodes in acetonitrile or dimethylformamide. The radical formation was confirmed by EPR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The reduction is reversed by air oxidation.     

Adsorption of toluene, methylcyclohexane and neopentane on silica MCM-41

Adsorption-desorption isotherms of toluene, methylcyclohexane and neopentane were determined on a silica MCM-41 material of pore diameter ∼3.4 nm over the temperature range 258 K to 308 K (278 K for neopentane). The isosteric enthalpies of adsorption were determined from the isotherms at the various temperatures. It was found that the isotherms of toluene and methylcyclohexane have a similar variation with the temperature, exhibiting hysteresis at 268 K and at lower temperature, while the adsorption of neopentane is reversible at all temperatures. The three organic adsorptives interact differently with the silica surface and the isosteric enthalpies of adsorption indicated that methylcyclohexane has the weakest interaction and toluene the strongest. A slight increase in the adsorption enthalpy at the beginning of the capillary condensation step is observed with methylcyclohexane and neopentane but not with toluene.     

Adsorption of phenylalanine from aqueous solution onto active carbon and silica gel

The adsorption isotherms of phenylalanine from aqueous solution on active carbon andsilica gel at varying pH,and the influence of inorganic salt upon the ad rption have been studied(at 25℃).The adsorption amount of phcnylalanine on the silica gel is very low due to the strong ad-sorption of water by silica gel.The results on the active carbon show:(1)The adsorption is found to bepH-dependent,within pH 4.1—5.1 it increases with pH,within pH 5.1—11.8 it decreases with pH,atpH 5.1 the adsorption reaches its maximum;(2)The phenylalanine is adsorbed mainly in the formof zwitterion;(3)A certain amount of cations and anions of phenylalanine are also adsorbed with vander Waals interaction;(4)After adding NaCl,the adsorption of phenylalanine increases markedly.     

Fabrication of titania and titania–silica aerogels using rapid supercritical extraction

Titania (TiO₂) and titania–silica (TiSi) aerogels are suitable for photocatalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds for pollution mitigation; however, methods for fabricating these aerogels can be complex. In this work we describe the use of a rapid supercritical extraction (RSCE) technique to prepare TiO₂ and TiSi aerogels in as little as 8 h. The RSCE technique uses a metal mold and a four-step hydraulic hot press procedure to bring the solvents in the sol–gel pores to a supercritical state and control the supercritical fluid release process. Resulting TiO₂ aerogels were powdery with BET surface areas of 130–180 m²/g, pore volumes ~0.5 cm³/g and skeletal densities of 3.6 g/mL. Monolithic TiSi aerogels were made using two different methods. An impregnation process, in which titania precursor was added to a silica sol–gel, took 4–8 days to complete with a 7-h RSCE and resulted in translucent aerogels with high surface area (560–650 m²/g) and pore volume (2.0–2.6 cm³/g), bulk densities ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 g/mL and skeletal densities of 2.3 g/mL. A co-precursor method for preparing TiSi aerogels took 8 h to complete. The precursor chemical mixture was poured directly into the mold and processed in a 7-h RSCE process. The resulting aerogels were opaque, with high surface areas (510–580 m²/g), low bulk density (0.03 g/mL), skeletal densities of 2 g/mL and pore volumes of 2.6–3.5 cm³/g. Preliminary solar simulator studies show that TiO₂ and TiSi aerogels are capable of photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in aqueous solution.     

Structural and mechanical characterizations of microporous silica–boron membranes for gas separation

This paper presents structural and mechanical characterizations of microporous silica membranes for gas separation. The membrane separative layer is made of microporous silica–B₂O₃ produced via a sol–gel process. This layer of about 200 nm of thickness is deposited on the internal surface of a tubular asymmetric γ-alumina/α-alumina support. FTIR and Raman analyses indicate the presence of the boron in the silica net and the above methods in conjunction with ¹¹B MAS NMR analyses of the samples indicate that boron is located mainly in the tetrahedral framework position. Such membranes present interesting gas separation properties at temperatures up to 500 °C and transmembrane pressures lower than 8 bar. He permeance values close to 10⁻¹⁰ kmol m⁻² s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹ are obtained, associated with ideal selectivity α(He/CO₂) which can reach 55. Mechanical properties of separative silica-modified layers are measured by nanoindentation and the coefficient of thermal expansion is obtained from pure material.     

Equilibrium and kinetics of calcium–uranyl–carbonate adsorption on silica nanoparticles

Solvent extraction studies on the purification of uranium from zirconium rich sodium diuranate (SDU) feed was carried out using n-tri butyl phosphate (TBP) as extractant and n-decanol as phase modifier. The presence of Zr in SDU leached solution leads to the formation of third phase during liquid–liquid extraction of uranium which was successfully prevented by addition of n-decanol in 30% (v/v) TBP/n-dodecane mixture. A seven stage counter current extraction of SDU feed solution followed by five stage stripping were carried out using optimum concentration of phase modifier 15% n-decanol-30% TBP in n-dodecane as solvent. Based on the findings a process flow-sheet has been developed for the purification of SDU to nuclear grade ammonium diuranate.     

Physical and optical properties of organo-modified silica nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel

A comparative study on the physical and optical properties of silica nanoparticles prepared by sol–gel has been carried out. Post-modification of as-synthesized silica nanoparticles produced organo-functionalized silica nanoparticles slightly increased in size (~20%) and relatively high aggregation. However, in situ method produced sixfold bigger functionalized particles with good dispersion and less aggregation. Higher organic content was observed for in situ modified nanosilica, leading to a higher surface hydrophobicity that improved compatibility and dispersion in preparation of silica-polymer nanocomposite. Furthermore, in situ and post-modified nanosilica demonstrated a distinct optical activity, photoluminescence and UV compared to the unmodified nanoparticles.     

Stability and performance of porous silica–zirconia composite membranes for pervaporation of aqueous organic solutions

Porous silica–zirconia membranes were fabricated by the sol–gel techniques to study their stability against water and the pervaporation performance of aqueous solutions of organic solvents. Zirconia (10–70 mol%) was added to silica to obtain silica–zirconia composite membranes by firing at 400–500 °C for pervaporation tests with organic solvent/water mixtures, such as iso-propyl alcohol (IPA)/water and tetrahydrofuran (THF)/water mixtures at their normal boiling points.The membrane coatings have been done effectively by the hot-coating methods proposed previously. Boiling water treatments introduced in the coating processes have made the membranes quite stable even in the high water concentration region of aqueous organic solutions at their normal boiling points. Zirconia contents larger than about 40 mol% have made the silica–zirconia membranes quite stable. The membranes of zirconia contents less than about 30 mol% were found not stable in a dilute aqueous solution of IPA. The membranes fabricated by the conventional dip-coating methods with slow drying were not stable against water because of the probable segregation of silica and/or silica-rich phases during drying.The membranes fired at lower temperature (400 °C) gave a higher water flux of around 500 mol m⁻² h⁻¹ (9 kg m⁻² h⁻¹) with a separation factor larger than 1500 at 10 wt.% of water in the boiling feed of IPA/water mixture, for example.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica xerogels obtained via fast sol–gel process

The synthesis and physical properties of high surface area silica xerogels obtained by a two-step sol–gel process in the absence of supercritical conditions are reported. The hydrolysis and condensation reactions were followed by infrared spectroscopy. The increment in the bands corresponding to silanol and hydroxyl groups suggests that the hydrolysis reaction was complete during the first 30 min. The effect on surface area and global reaction time under various reaction conditions, such as type of alkaline catalyst and solvents, water–monomer and solvent–monomer molar ratios, was also studied. The obtained results suggest that surface area was increased using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as catalyst. The use of isopropyl alcohol as solvent promotes the reduction of the capillary stress, giving a well-structured xerogel. As a conclusion, with H₂O/i-PrOH/TEOS in a molar ratio of 10:4:1, it was possible to obtain silica xerogels with surface areas about 1,240 m²/g. Such surface areas are comparable with those obtained under supercritical conditions (aerogels), and higher than those xerogels conventionally obtained under normal condition (500–800 m²/g).