Synthesis and surface modification of mesoporous mcm-41 silica materials

Surface modification offers a great opportunity to adjust both the pore diameter and surface properties of MCM-41 type organic–inorganic hybrid materials which result in materials of improved hydrothermal and mechanical stability. Therefore, MCM-41 silica, surface modified with organic ligands, are promising systems with engineered properties and attractive for advanced applications. In the present study, after optimization of the reaction conditions highly ordered MCM-41 silica spheres with uniform mesopores were prepared by the pseudomorphic transformation route. The effect of functionality and alkyl chain length of the alkyl ligands during surface modification was probed by using butyl and octylsilanes with two different functionalities. Due to steric hindrance, the longer chains are assumed to bind only on the outer silica surface and near the entrance of the pores, while the shorter chains are also able to bind to the interior mesopore walls. The resulting materials were comprehensively characterized before and after surface modification using nitrogen sorption techniques, XRD, SEM, solid-state NMR spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy. From chromatographic test measurements it was found that the separation power primarily depends on surface coverage and alkyl chain length. On the basis of the present data, surface modified mesoporous silica of MCM-41 type are very promising candidates for future chromatographic applications.     

Spherical ordered mesoporous silicas and silica monoliths as stationary phases for liquid chromatography

Ordered mesoporous silicas such as micelle-templated silicas (MTS) feature unique textural properties in addition to their high surface area (approximately 1000 m2/g): narrow mesopore size distributions and controlled pore connectivity. These characteristics are highly relevant to chromatographic applications for resistance to mass transfer, which has never been studied in chromatography because of the absence of model materials such as MTS. Their synthesis is based on unique self-assembly processes between surfactants and silica. In order to take advantage of the perfectly adjustable texture of MTS in chromatographic applications, their particle morphology has to be tailored at the micrometer scale. We developed a synthesis strategy to control the particle morphology of MTS using the concept of pseudomorphic transformation. Pseudomorphism was recognized in the mineral world to gain a mineral that presents a morphology not related to its crystallographic symmetry group. Pseudomorphic transformations have been applied to amorphous spherical silica particles usually used in chromatography as stationary phases to produce MTS with the same morphology, using alkaline solution to dissolve progressively and locally silica and reprecipitate it around surfactant micelles into ordered MTS structures. Spherical beads of MTS with hexagonal and cubic symmetries have been synthesized and successfully used in HPLC in fast separation processes. MTS with a highly connected structure (cubic symmetry), uniform pores with a diameter larger than 6 nm in the form of particles of 5 microm could compete with monolithic silica columns. Monolithic columns are receiving strong interest and represent a milestone in the area of fast separation. Their synthesis is a sol-gel process based on phase separation between silica and water, which is assisted by the presence of polymers. The control of the synthesis of monolithic silica has been systematically explored. Because of unresolved yet cladding problems to evaluate the resulting macromonoliths in HPLC, micromonoliths were synthesized into fused-silica capillaries and evaluated by nano-LC and CEC. Only CEC allows to gain high column efficiencies in fast separation processes. Capillary silica monolithic columns represent attractive alternatives for miniaturization processes (lab-on-a chip) using CEC.     

聚醚型氨酯酰亚胺/二氧化硅杂化材料的合成与性能研究

利用Sol Gel共聚合反应制备出聚醚型氨酯酰亚胺 (PUI) /二氧化硅 (SiO2 )杂化材料 .利用NMR、FTIR、TG、DSC及SEM等测试手段对性能进行了基本表征 .FTIR研究结果发现在 10 0℃下能同时完成有机相PUI的亚胺化和无机相SiO2 凝胶网络的Sol Gel转变 .TG及SEM发现SiO2 含量为 9wt%时SiO2 聚集相粒径在 0 2～1 0 μm之间 ,耐热性明显提高并达到最佳 ;发现SiO2 含量的增加其颗粒粒径不断增大 ,并不断聚集成大粒径SiO2 相 ,有机和无机相分离明显 .DSC研究显示 ,SiO2 相的引入 ,对杂化材料聚醚软段富集相的Tg 不产生明显影响 .     

Confined Polymerization in Highly Ordered Mesoporous Organosilicas

Hybrid mesoporous organosilica exhibiting crystal‐like order in the walls provided an ideal channel reaction vessel for the confined polymerization of acrylonitrile (PAN). The resulting high‐molecular‐mass PAN fills the channels at high yield and forms an ordered nanostructure of polymer nanobundles enclosed into the hybrid matrix. The in situ thermal transformation of PAN into rigid polyconjugated and, eventually, into condensed polyaromatic carbon nanofibers, retains the periodic architecture. Simultaneously, the matrix evolves showing the fusion of the p‐phenylene rings and the cleavage of carbon?silicon bonds: this gives rise to graphitic‐carbon/silica nanocomposites containing hyper‐oxydrylated silica nanophases. Interestingly, the 3D hexagonal mesostructure survives in the carbonaceous material. The exploitation of porous materials of high capacity and a hybrid nature, for polymerization in the confined state, followed by high temperature treatments, allowed us to achieve unique and precisely fabricated nanostructures, thus paving the way for the construction of fine‐tuned electronic and light‐harvesting materials.     

Interaction and Microstructure of Polyurethane/Silica Hybrid Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Process

The polyester/silica hybrid resins and their hybrid polyurethanes were prepared via in situ (IS) or blending (BL) method using different silica sols. The effects of preparation methods, silica type and content on the interaction and microstructure of polymer/silica hybrid materials were investigated by FTIR, viscosity measurement, TGA, DMA and SAXS, respectively. It was found that both IS and BL methods formed agglomerates of silica-rich phases and primary silica-rich phases in the hybrid films, but the former caused stronger interaction between silica and polymer than the latter, resulting in much bigger agglomerates and compacter structure. The ethoxy group at silica was favorable for enhancing the interaction between silica phase and polymer, even between silica phases as well. The interaction between silica phase and polymer caused increasing viscosity, modulus and Tg, while the interaction between silica phases themselves increased the extent of micro-phase separation, especially for the hybrid films prepared by IS method.     

From molecular chemistry to hybrid nanomaterials. Design and functionalization

This tutorial review reports upon the organisation and functionalization of two families of hybrid organic-inorganic materials. We attempted to show in both cases the best ways permitting the organisation of materials in terms of properties at the nanometric scale. The first family concerns mesoporous hybrid organic-inorganic materials prepared in the presence of a structure-directing agent. We describe the functionalization of the channel pores of ordered mesoporous silica, that of the silica framework, as well as the functionalization of both of them simultaneously. This family is currently one of the best supports for exploring polyfunctional materials, which can provide a route to interactive materials. The second family concerns lamellar hybrid organic-inorganic materials which is a new class of nanostructured materials. These materials were first obtained by self-assembly, as a result of van der Waals interactions of bridged organosilica precursors containing long alkylene chains during the sol-gel process, without any structure directing agent. This methodology has been extended to functional materials. It is also shown that such materials can be obtained from monosilylated precursors.     

Titania–Silica Materials for Enhanced Photocatalysis

Mesoporous titania–organosilica nanoparticles comprised of anatase nanocrystals crosslinked with organosilica moieties have been prepared by direct co‐condensation of a titania precursor, tetrabuthylortotitanate (TBOT), with two organosilica precursors, 1,4‐bis(triethoxysilyl) benzene (BTEB) and 1,2‐bis(triethoxysilyl) ethane (BTEE), in mild conditions and in the absence of surfactant. These hybrid materials show both high surface areas (200–360 m² g^?1) and pore volumes (0.3 cm³ g^?1) even after calcination, and excellent photoactivity in the degradation of rhodamine 6G and in the partial oxidation of propene under UV irradiation, especially after the calcination of the samples. During calcination, there is a change in the Ti^IV coordination and an increase in the content of Si?O?Ti moieties in comparison with the uncalcined materials, which seems to be responsible for the enhanced photocatalytic activity of hybrid titania–silica materials as compared to both uncalcined samples and the control TiO₂.     

Development of robust organosilica membranes for reverse osmosis

Hybrid organically bridged silica membranes have attracted considerable attention because of their high performances in a variety of applications. Development of robust reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to withstand aggressive operating conditions is still a major challenge. Here, a new type of microporous organosilica membrane has been developed and applied in reverse osmosis. Sol-gel derived organosilica RO membranes reject isopropanol with rejection higher than 95%, demonstrating superior molecular sieving ability for neutral solutes of low molecular weight. Due to the introduction of an inherently stable hybrid network structure, the membrane withstands higher temperatures in comparison with commercial polyamide RO membranes, and is resistant to water to at least 90 °C with no obvious changes in filtration performance. Furthermore, both an accelerated chlorine-resistance test and Fourier transform infrared analysis confirm excellent chlorine stability in this material, which demonstrates promise for a new generation of chlorine-resistant RO membrane materials.     

Adsorption characteristics of organosilica based mesoporous materials

Hybrid organosilica mesoporous materials with pores of ordered three-dimensional hexagonal structure were prepared by the hydrolysis and co-condensation of 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane with various concentrations of a surfactant as structure directing agents. The materials had high pore volume of 1-1.5 mL/g and high surface area from 1057 to 1445 m(2)/g. Adsorption measurement and adsorption calorimetry revealed that the prepared materials exhibited high hydrophobicity and high affinity toward nonpolar organic vapor such as n-hexane. The dynamic adsorption properties of the materials for n-hexane in the presence of water vapor showed that these hybrid organosilica materials preferentially adsorbed n-hexane vapor and were stable in the presence of water compared to the siliceous MCM48.     

Cobalt Ion Incorporation into Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Materials Synthesized by Co-condensation of 1,2-Bistrimethoxysilylethane with 3-Glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane

Bifunctional periodic mesoporous organosilica materials with and without cobalt ion incorporation were synthesized by co-condensation of 1,2-bistrimethoxysilylethane (BTME) with 3-glycidoxypropyltriethoxysilane (GPTS) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. Nitrogen gas adsorption on samples with varying ratios of BTME:GPTS revealed that increasing the amount of GPTS affects pore size, surface area and pore volume as well as shapes of the isotherms and hysteresis loops. The hysteresis loops of the Type IV isotherms obtained for GPTS-modified ethane silica materials (without cobalt ion) change from Type H3 to Type H4 with increasing GPTS content. There is a tendency for pore sizes to change from mesopore to micropore when the amount of GPTS is increased. Isotherms of cobalt ion incorporated GPTS-modified ethane silica materials change from Type IV to Type I with increasing GPTS content. The surface area, pore volume and pore diameter decrease with increasing loading of GPTS as well as after cobalt ion incorporation. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis show that the surfactant is removed by solvent extraction. Cobalt ion incorporation is confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy.     

Organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silicas: functionalization, pore size, and morphology control

Topological design of mesoporous silica materials, pore architecture, pore size, and morphology are currently major issues in areas such as catalytic conversion of bulky molecules, adsorption, host-guest chemistry, etc. In this sense, we discuss the pore size-controlled mesostructure, framework functionalization, and morphology control of organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silicas by which we can improve the applicability of mesoporous materials. First, we explain that the sizes of hexagonal- and cubic-type pores in organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silicas are well controlled from 24.3 to 98.0 A by the direct micelle-control method using an organosilica precursor and surfactants with different alkyl chain lengths or triblock copolymers as templates and swelling agents incorporated in the formed micelles. Second, we describe that organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous materials with various functional groups form various external morphologies such as rod, cauliflower, film, rope, spheroid, monolith, and fiber shapes. Third, we discuss that transition metals (Ti and Ru) and rare-earth ions (Eu(3+) and Tb(3+)) are used to modify organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica materials. Such hybrid mesoporous silica materials are expected to be applied as excellent catalysts for organic reactions, photocatalysis, optical devices, etc.     

基于硅胶整体材料研磨颗粒的多功能聚乙二醇键合固定相的制备及其在高效液相色谱多模式分离中的应用

研究通过对溶胶-凝胶法制备的硅胶整体材料进行研磨、浮选、假晶相转换和水热处理，最终获得了粒径为2~5 μm、孔径为20~60 nm的硅胶颗粒。利用部分含氟的阴离子表面活性剂Capstone FS-66和常用的阳离子表面活性剂十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB）组成的双胶束模板体系对硅胶基质进行假晶相转换处理；再采用碳酸钠溶液水热处理的方式，进一步扩大孔径。用扫描电镜（SEM）和N₂吸附-解吸等温线测量对扩孔处理前后的硅胶整体材料研磨颗粒进行表征，结果清楚地显示了处理前后的形貌变化和差异。随后将含有长链聚乙二醇（PEG）的硅烷键合到扩孔后的硅胶颗粒表面，分别利用元素分析、红外光谱以及热重分析对固定相进行表征，并对固定相进行色谱性能评价。对键合固定相的元素分析和热重分析数据进行分析表明，硅胶表面键合PEG的含量约为8%。研究揭示了利用假晶相转换法与碳酸钠溶液水热处理和长链PEG硅烷修饰的硅胶整体材料颗粒在尺寸排阻色谱分离蛋白质方面的良好分离效果。同时进一步的高效液相色谱评价结果表明，该键合固定相还可用于疏水作用色谱模式分离核糖核酸酶A和溶菌酶，以及可用于亲水作用色谱模式分离吡啶甲酸、左旋多巴、三聚氰胺和邻苯二酚等极性比较强的化合物。研究显示了PEG键合固定相具有多功能性，及其在多模式高效液相色谱分离中的应用潜力。     

Physico-chemical characterization of MCM-41 silica spheres made by the pseudomorphic route and grafted with octadecyl chains

This work reports on the first comprehensive characterization of octadecyl (C(18)) modified MCM-41 silica spheres, prepared via the pseudomorphic route, followed by grafting with mono- or trifunctional octadecyl (C(18)) alkyl chains and endcapping with hexamethyldisilazane. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements were performed to obtain information about the MCM-41 pore structure, surface properties and morphological features. The degree of grafting and cross-linking of the silanes were determined by (29)Si magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy, while FTIR and (13)C NMR were employed to study the conformational behavior of the surface-immobilized alkyl chains. The SAXS pattern proved the existence of a hexagonal mesopore arrangement for both the ungrafted and the grafted MCM-41 silica spheres. In addition, there is evidence of some long-range distortion in the pore structure. SEM measurements revealed the same morphological features for the parent silica and the MCM-41 silica spheres before and after C(18) grafting. The achieved surface loading for the MCM-41 material is rather low. It was also shown that a substantial amount of the accessible surface silanol groups is endcapped by trimethylsilane which in turn results in a very low surface coverage due to the octadecyl chains. The nitrogen sorption studies provided values for the surface area, total pore volume and pore diameter which are very typical for mesoporous materials. The reduction in surface area and total pore volume upon surface grafting is related to the binding of trimethylsilane in the interior of the pores, while due to the spatial restrictions octadecyl chains are primarily attached near the pore entrance. The experimental FTIR and (13)C NMR data point to a very low conformational order of the C(18) chains which is in accordance with the observed low surface coverage and the resulting spatial freedom for these surface-immobilized alkyl chains.     

Syntheses of ordered mesoporous silica by new hybrid template

Ordered mesoporous silica with macroscopic shape has been prepared with a hybrid template of gel and poly(ethylene oxide)₁₀₆–poly(propylene oxide)₇₀–poly(ethylene oxide)₁₀₆ (pluronic F127) surfactant, where both water-soluble agar gel and pluronic F127 significantly affect the mesoporous structure and morphology of silica. The thermal analysis revealed the noticeable interaction between agar and F127, which contributes to the formation of homogenous hybrid template. In the hybrid template, agar gel contributed to the maintenance of morphology structure, while F127 was responsible for the formation of ordered porous structure in silica solids.     

Design of Interpenetrated Networks of Mesostructured Hybrid Silica and Nonconductive Poly(vinylidene fluoride)–Cohexafluoropropylene (PVdF–HFP) Polymer for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Applications

Organic–inorganic hybrid membranes of poly(vinylidene fluoride)–cohexafluoropropylene (PVdF–HFP) and mesostructured silica containing sulfonic acid groups were synthesized by using the sol‐gel process. These hybrid membranes were prepared by in situ co‐condensation of tetraethoxysilane and an organically modified silane (ormosil) by a self‐assembly route using organic surfactants as templates for tuning the architecture of the hybrid organosilica component. In this paper, we describe the elaboration and characterization of hybrid membranes all the way from the precursor solution to the evaluation of the fuel cell performances. These hybrid materials were extensively characterized by using NMR and IR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, or impedance spectroscopy so as to determinate their physicochemical and electrochemical properties. Even though the ion‐exchange capacity (IEC) was quite weak, the first fuel cell tests performed with these hybrid membranes show promising results relative to optimized Nafion 112 thanks to great water management of the silica inside the hydrophobic polymer.     

Mesoporous Silica and Organosilica Films Templated by Nanocrystalline Chitin

Liquid crystalline phases can be used to impart order into inorganic solids, creating materials that mimic natural architectures. Herein, mesoporous silica and organosilica films with layered structures and high surface areas have been templated by nanocrystalline chitin. Aqueous suspensions of spindle‐shaped chitin nanocrystals were prepared by sequential deacetylation and hydrolysis of chitin fibrils isolated from king crab shells. The nanocrystalline chitin self‐assembles into a nematic liquid‐crystalline phase that has been used to template silica and organosilica composites. Removal of the chitin template by either calcination or sulfuric‐acid‐catalyzed hydrolysis gave mesoporous silica and ethylene‐bridged organosilica films. The large, crack‐free mesoporous films have layered structures with features that originate from the nematic organization of the nanocrystalline chitin.     

Fluorescence Emission from 2,6‐Naphthylene‐Bridged Mesoporous Organosilicas with an Amorphous or Crystal‐Like Framework

We report that 2,6‐naphthylene‐bridged periodic mesoporous organosilicas exhibit unique fluorescence behavior that reflects molecular‐scale periodicities in the framework. Periodic mesoporous organosilicas consisting of naphthalene–silica hybrid frameworks were synthesized by hydrolysis and condensation of a naphthalene‐derived organosilane precursor in the presence of a template surfactant. The morphologies and meso‐ and molecular‐scale periodicities of the organosilica materials strongly depend on the synthetic conditions. The naphthalene moieties embedded within the molecularly ordered framework exhibited a monomer‐band emission, whereas those embedded within the amorphous framework showed a broad emission attributed to an excimer band. These results suggest that the naphthalene moieties fixed within the crystal‐like framework are isolated in spite of their densely packed structure, different from conventional organosilica frameworks in which only excimer emission was observed for both the crystal‐like and amorphous frameworks at room temperature. This key finding suggests a potential to control interactions between organic groups and thus the optical properties of inorganic/organic hybrids.     

不同pH值下合成的双中孔和六方中孔SiO_2的表征(英文)

在相同的反应体系中当ｐｈ值从约９．５调变至１１时分别合成出双中孔ＳｉＯ２和六方中孔ＳｉＯ２材料,并用ＸＲＤ、Ｎ２吸附、ＴＥＭ、ＴＧ／ＤＴＡ和ＦＴＩＲ等测试手段对合成产物进行了表征。实验结果表明,双中孔ＳｉＯ和六 方中孔ＳｉＯ２是合成中必然出现的两种不同的中孔物相。与六方中孔ＳｉＯ２相比,双中孔ＳｉＯ２也具有典型中孔 材料的特征ＸＲＤ谱图,虽然仅呈现一个易让人产生不完全晶化误解的相对较宽的单ＸＲＤ衍射峰（ｄ＝５．２ｎｍ）,但它却给出一种独特的Ｎ２吸附等温线和窄的双峰中孔孔径分布曲线。由于孔壁的无定形及表面活性剂分子与ＳｉＯ２骨架间相似的相互作用,两类材料给出类似的ＦＴＩＲ谱图和ＴＧ／ＤＴＡ曲线。然而,在双中孔ＳｉＯ２的ＦＴＩＲ谱图中９６０ｃｍ处峰强度的微小变化可能意味着在锻烧脱除模板剂后双中孔ＳｉＯ２较六方中孔ＳｉＯ２具有更高的骨架聚合度。     

Fabrication of hierarchically porous silica nanospheres through sol–gel process and pseudomorphic transformation

Hierarchically porous silica nanospheres with well-defined morphology and uniform particle size had been synthesized through a multistep sol–gel method combined with pseudomorphic transformation in the presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and cetyltrimethylammoium bromide (CTAB) as dual template. The prepared materials were characterized by small-angle X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and nitrogen physical adsorption techniques. The preparation process and the origin of hierarchical structure were also investigated. It had been shown that the hierarchical structure of synthesized materials comprises wormlike framework mesopores with diameters of about 3 nm and bubble-like pores with diameters of 20–30 nm. CTAB and PVP behave as dual-template and are responsible for the formation of the mesopores and big pores, respectively. Not only the porous structure, but also the morphology and particle size of hierarchical materials can be adjusted by controlling the addition of PVP. In addition, the formation process of hierarchically porous silica was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, FT-IR spectra and thermo-gravimetric curves and a possible synthetic mechanism had been proposed.     

Step‐by‐Step Growth of Complex Oxide Microstructures

The synthesis of complex and hybrid oxide microstructures is of fundamental interest and practical applications. However, the design and synthesis of such structures is a challenging task. A solution‐phase process to synthesize complex silica and silica–titania hybrid microstructures was developed by exploiting the emulsion‐droplet‐based step‐by‐step growth featuring shape control. The strategy is robust and can be extended to the preparation of complex hybrid structures consisting of two or more materials, with each having its own shape.