Methyltriethoxysilane-derived sol-gel coatings doped with silver metal particles

Silica sol-gel films were prepared by dipping, starting from an acid catalyzed solution of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). Silver metal nanoparticles were produced in the silica layer by introducing in the sol-gel precursor solution AgNO₃ or AgClO₄·H₂O. The silver ions were thermally reduced in air at 800°C, giving an intense yellow coating film. The silver metal particles were observed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The diameter of the silver particles was found to be about 10 nm. Absorption measurements in the UV-Vis were used to evaluate the volume fraction of silver colloids embedded in the silica layer.     

Influence of Sol-Gel Synthesis Parameters on the Microstructure of Particulate Silica Xerogels

The influence of key sol-gel synthesis parameters on the pore structure of microporous silica xerogels was investigated. The silica xerogels were prepared using an acid-catalyzed aqueous sol-gel process, with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as the silicon-containing precursor. At high H2O : TEOS ratios, sols synthesized at pH 2–3 yielded minimum values of mean micropore diameter and micropore volume. Analysis of the resulting Type I nitrogen adsorption isotherms and the equilibrium adsorption of N(C4F9)3 indicated micropore diameters for these xerogels of less than approximately 10 Å.Xerogel micropore volumes corresponding to sols prepared at pH 3 and an H2O : TEOS ratio of r = 83 were consistent with nearly close packing of silica spheres in the xerogel. Xerogel microstructure was only weakly dependent upon H2O : TEOS ratio during sol synthesis for r > 10. Xerogel micropore volume increased rapidly with sol aging time during an initial induction period of particle formation. However, the xerogel microstructure changed only slowly with time after this initial period, suggesting potential processing advantages for the particulate sol-gel route to porous silica materials.Surface adsorption properties of the silica xerogels were investigated at ambient temperature using N2, SF6, and CO2. CO2 adsorbed most strongly, SF6 also showed measurable adsorption, and N2 adsorption was nearly zero. These results were consistent with the surface transport of CO2, and to a lesser extent SF6, observed in gas permeation studies performed through thin membrane films cast from similarly prepared silica sols.     

Effective intraparticle diffusion coefficients of CoCl2 in mesoporous functionalized silica adsorbents

The scope of this work is to determine the effective intraparticle diffusion coefficient of CoCl₂ over mesoporous functionalized silica. Silica is selected as a carrier of the functionalized groups for its rigid structure which excludes troublesome swelling, often found in polymeric adsorbents. 2-(2-pyridyl)ethyl-functionalized silica is selected as a promising affinity adsorbent for the reversible adsorption of CoCl₂. The adsorption kinetics is investigated with the Zero Length Column (ZLC) method. Initially, experiments were performed at different flow rates to eliminate the effect of external mass transfer. The effect of pore size (60 Å and 90 Å), particle size (40?10^?6 m–1000?10^?6 m) and initial CoCl₂ concentration (1 mol/m³–2.0 mol/m³) on the mass transfer was investigated. A model was developed to determine the pore diffusion coefficient of CoCl₂ by fitting the experimental data to the model. The pore diffusion coefficients determined for two different pore sizes of silica are D _p (60 Å) =1.95?10^?10 [m²/s] and D _p (90 Å) =5.8?10^?10 [m²/s]. The particle size and the initial CoCl₂ concentration do not have an influence on the value of diffusion coefficient. However, particle size has an influence on the diffusion time constant. In comparison with polymer adsorbents, silica based adsorbents have higher values of diffusion coefficients, as well as a more uniform and stable pore structure.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Silica Templated by Amphiphilic RTILs

This article reports a novel preparation of mesoporous silica with series of 1-alky-3-methylimidazolium bromide (C_nMIM)Br (n = 12, 14, 16), a kind of amphiphilic room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), as a template via a sol-gel nanocasting technique. The pore morphology and structures of these mesoporous silica were characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the RTIL bearing longer alkyl chain is preferred to form the mesoporous silica material with bigger pores. (C₁₆MIM)Br has been chosen to study how the various influencing factors affect the synthesis and structure of the mesoporous silica material, such as the acid concentration, the solling time, the gelling time and the calcination time. N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms measurement was used to characterize the pore size distribution and BET surface area. The results indicate that all of the factors can make an influence on the preparation of the mesoporous silica, which is more sensitive to the concentration of the acid.     

The Peculiarities of Silica Aerogel Production Using Azeotropic Mixtures

At the first time it was carried out the theoretical researches regarding pathways to get into a supercritical region at the ambient pressure with the main aim to avoid expensive and hazardous supercritical drying process and to make a silica aerogel production in whole more economical and commercial. These investigations based on fundamental knowledge about the critical phenomena in multicomponent systems. The representation of phase states in such systems by graphical images was used for the estimation of LV (x_L = x_V) azeotrope influence on SLV and L?V equilibria. In the course of empiric selection of azeotropic mixtures the negative azeotropes advantage over positive ones was determined and grounded in theory. We report on the synthesis of hydrophobic silica aerogel by ambient pressure drying (APD) procedure, which involves two-step sol–gel process with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica precursor and isopropanol as the solvent and an elaborated flow chart using both types of azeotropes as the pore fluids. Guided by receiving our theoretical investigation, we obtained transparent crack-free silica aerogel samples with specific surface in the range of 711–913 m²/g, average pore diameter of ～95–137 nm, and density of ca. 0.39–0.081 g/cm³.     

Thermoplastic and thermosetting properties of polyphenylsilsesquioxane particles prepared by two-step acid-base catalyzed sol-gel process

Polyphenylsilsesquioxane (PhSiO_3/2) particles were synthesized by a two-step acid-base catalyzed sol-gel process, in which phenyltriethoxysilane used as a starting alkoxide was hydrolyzed and condensed in the first step under two different acid-catalyzed conditions. The PhSiO_3/2 particles prepared under an acid-catalyzed process without using a solvent were thermally hardened after the first heating up to 200°C. In contrast, the PhSiO_3/2 particles prepared under an acid-catalyzed process with ethanol as a solvent were thermally softened with the repeated heating processes up to 200°C. From the gel permeation chromatography measurements, it was found that the average molecular weight of the particles prepared with the use of ethanol was decreased in comparison with that of the particles prepared without using ethanol. The addition of ethanol in the sols during hydrolysis and condensation reaction under the acid-catalyzed process caused the decrease in the average molecular weight, which should result in the changes of thermal property of PhSiO_3/2 particles from thermosetting to thermoplastic.     

Influence of calcination temperature on structural and magnetic properties of nanocomposites formed by Co-ferrite dispersed in sol-gel silica matrix using tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl) orthosilicate as precursor

Effects of calcination temperatures varying from 400 to 1000°C on structural and magnetic properties of nanocomposites formed by Co-ferrite dispersed in the sol-gel silica matrix using tetrakis(2-hydroxyethyl) orthosilicate (THEOS) as water-soluble silica precursor have been investigated. Studies carried out using XRD, FT-IR, TEM, STA (TG-DTG-DTA) and VSM techniques. Results indicated that magnetic properties of samples such as superparamagnetism and ferromagnetism showed great dependence on the variation of the crystallinity and particle size caused by the calcination temperature. The crystallization, saturation magnetization M_s and remenant magnetization M_r increased as the calcination temperature increased. But the variation of coercivity H_c was not in accordance with that of M_s and M_r, indicating that H_c is not determined only by the crystallinity and size of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles. TEM images showed spherical nanoparticles dispersed in the silica network with sizes of 10-30 nm. Results showed that the well-established silica network provided nucleation locations for CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles to confinement the coarsening and aggregation of nanoparticles. THEOS as silica matrix network provides an ideal nucleation environment to disperse CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles and thus to confine them to aggregate and coarsen. By using THEOS as water-soluble silica precursor over the currently used TEOS and TMOS, the organic solvents are not needed owing to the complete solubility of THEOS in water. Synthesized nanocomposites with adjustable particle sizes and controllable magnetic properties make the applicability of Co-ferrite even more versatile.     

可用于色谱固定相的介孔氧化硅球材料的合成

采用非离子型嵌段高分子表面活性剂EO₂₀PO₃₀EO₂₀ (P65)为结构导向剂, 正硅酸乙酯为硅源, 在酸性介质中, 静置法制备了微米级介孔氧化硅球. 通过改变合成温度、反应时间或者无机盐KCl的加入量, 可以调节介孔氧化硅球的直径(9.0～17.6 μm); 加入1,3,5-三甲苯(TMB)或者调节水热温度, 可以调节介孔氧化硅球的孔径(2.3～4.8 nm). 采用X射线衍射(XRD)、N₂吸附-脱附、扫描电镜(SEM)、激光散射粒度分布和对溶菌酶的吸附等方法, 对介孔氧化硅球的结构、孔性质、形貌、吸附性质等进行了表征. 实验发现, 孔径较小的介孔氧化硅球(≤4.3 nm)对溶菌酶的吸附不明显(≤42 mg/g), 而孔径(4.8 nm)大于溶菌酶直径的材料对溶菌酶有较大的吸附量(192 mg/g), 说明孔径均匀可调的介孔氧化硅球材料可以很好地用作体积排阻色谱柱的固定相.     

Preparation of Disperse Silver Particles by Chemical Reduction

Mastery over the microscopic shape and size of a nanoparticle enables accurate control of its properties for some strict application. The mechanism of shape-controlled synthesis was discussed by investigating the formation of silver nanospheres prepared by chemical reduction method using Ag(NH₃)₂⁺ as metal source, ascorbic acid as reducing agent and polyvinylpyrrolidone (K-30) as dispersant. The effects of temperature, PVP/AgNO₃ mass ratio, pH value and the interaction between PVP and silver on the shape and particle size were studied by XRD and SEM. The results show that the morphology of silver particles could transform from branched to spherical and the particle size gradually decrease with the increase of PVP/AgNO₃ mass ratio. The particles size can also be significantly influenced by pH value and temperature. The key point for preparing high dispersity spherical silver powder is that the growth rate of each plane of the particle must be uniform and synchronous. Silver powders with spherical particles with mean size of 0.2 μm were synthesized under the optimum conditions (PVP/AgNO₃ mass ratio 0.6, pH 7, reaction temperature of 40°C).     

Synthesis of mesoporous Stöber silica nanoparticles: the effect of secondary and tertiary alkanolamines

The effect of secondary (diethanolamine) and tertiary (triethanolamine) alkanolamines as catalysts on the formation of mesoporous Stöber silica nanoparticles by sol–gel method was studied. The particles were characterized by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N₂ physisorption measurements, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. By using ammonia and different alkanolamines as catalysts, the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume increased in the order of ammonia < diethanolamine < triethanolamine. A maximum BET surface area of 140.1 m² g^?1 and pore volume of 0.66 cm³ g^?1 were obtained from triethanolamine catalyzed silica particles. The average particle size of silica prepared by ammonia and different alkanolamines as catalysts decreased in the order of ammonia > diethanolamine > triethanolamine. The role of different alkanolamines on the textural properties and particle size of silica is explained in terms of their relative steric hindrance and basicity.     

Environmentally benign sol–gel derived nanocrystalline rod shaped calcium doped cerium phosphate yellow-green pigment

Nanocrystalline rod shaped calcium doped cerium phosphate yellow-green pigment particles having an average length of ~100 nm and aspect ratio 10 even after calcination at 600 °C have been realized through an aqueous sol–gel process. The morphology, particle size and identification of the phase are determined by using different analytical tools such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), Fourier-transform IR (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) nitrogen adsorption analysis showed the pigment particles are mesoporous texture having specific surface area 42 m² g^?1 and average pore size 153 Å. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis is used to explain the thermal phase stability of the pigment. UV–Visible spectroscopy and colorimetric analysis are also done. The typical yellow-green color has been obtained even after heating to as low as 600 °C, which is 300 °C lesser than reported. Systematic study on synthesis and effect of temperature on color are presented.     

Electrochemical properties of spinel Li<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> nanoparticles prepared via a low-temperature solid route

Spinel phase Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (s-LTO) with an average primary particle size of 150 nm was synthesised via a solid state route by calcining a precursor mixture at 600 °C. The precursor was prepared from a stoichiometric mixture of TiO₂ nanoparticles and an ethanolic solution of Li acetate and activated by ball-milling. Effects of the calcination temperature and atmosphere are examined in relation to the coexistence of impurity phases by X-ray diffraction and ⁶Li MAS NMR. The charge capacity of s-LTO, determined from cyclic voltammogram at a scan rate of 0.1 mV/s, was 142 mAh/g. The capacity of our optimised material is superior to that of commercially available spinel (a-LTO), despite the considerably smaller BET-specific surface area of the former. The superior properties of our material were also demonstrated by galvanostatic charging/discharging. From these observations, we conclude that the presented low-temperature solid state synthesis route provides LTO with improved electrochemical performance.     

碳氟基团修饰的疏水微孔二氧化硅膜制备与表征

采用三氟丙基三乙氧基硅烷（TFPTES）和正硅酸乙酯（TEOS）作为前驱体,通过溶胶-凝胶法制备了三氟丙基修饰的SiO2膜材料。利用扫描电镜、N2 吸附、 红外光谱仪以及视频光学接触角测量仪对膜的断面形貌、孔结构以及疏水性能进行了表征。结果表明,随着三氟丙基三乙氧基硅烷加入量的增大,膜的疏水性逐渐增强,膜的孔结构基本保持不变。当TFPTES/TEOS的摩尔比例达到0.6时,膜对水的接触角达到 111.6°±0.5º,膜材料仍保持良好的微孔结构,其孔体积为0.19cm3•g-1,孔径为0.97nm。     

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.     

新型球形纳米空心SiO2的模板合成方法研究

以纳米碳酸钙颗粒为新颖的无机模板剂, 硅酸钠为无机硅源, 通过溶胶-凝胶法形成CaCO₃/SiO₂的核壳结构; 随后通过高温煅烧、酸溶和干燥处理, 合成出了具有高比表面积的球形纳米空心二氧化硅粒子. 然后, 分别采用TEM, SEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR和TG等测试手段对样品进行了分析和表征, 并考察了不同合成条件, 如反应温度、反应pH值、煅烧温度和包覆反应时SiO₂/CaCO₃的配比对纳米空心二氧化硅粒子的比表面积变化. 实验结果表明: 较高的反应温度如60～80 ℃, pH值9左右、SiO₂包覆量为碳酸钙质量的10%, 以及煅烧温度为700 ℃, 有利于形成空心形貌较好、比表面较大的球形纳米空心二氧化硅.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(EMA-co-HEA)/SiO2 nanohybrids

A series of silica-based organic-inorganic nanocomposites, which attempt to mimic the properties of mineralized matrix tissues from natural bone or dentin, have been prepared and characterized as potential candidates for the synthetic matrix of scaffolds for bone or dentin regeneration. The synthesis procedure consisted in the copolymerization of ethyl methacrylate (EMA) and hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) during the simultaneous acid-catalyzed sol-gel polymerization of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) as a silica precursor, giving rise to poly(EMA-co-HEA)/SiO₂ nanohybrids with silica contents in the range of 0-30 wt%. Different structures of silica within the organic polymeric matrix were inferred from infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, pyrolysis, density assessments, solvent uptake and transmission electron microscopy. TEOS was efficiently hydrolyzed and condensed to silica during the sol-gel process in all cases, and presented a homogeneous distribution in the polymeric matrix, in the form of nanodomains either interdispersed or continuously interpenetrated with the organic network, depending on the silica content. Silica contents above 10% produced co-continuous interpenetrated structures where the silica network reinforces mechanically the organic matrix and at the same time confers bioactivity to the surfaces.     

Fe3O4–SiO2 nanocomposites obtained via alkoxide and colloidal route

The magnetic nanocomposite materials represent an important class of nanomaterials extensively studied nowadays due to their varied applications from medical diagnostic to storage information. The iron oxides in silica matrix systems are highly investigated. The sol-gel method is a suitable way of preparation of Fe₃O₄-SiO₂ nanocomposite materials, since this method allowed the preparation of nanocomposite materials with narrow size distribution of magnetite in silica matrix. In the present work, nanocomposite materials in the Fe₃O₄-SiO₂ system were prepared by sol-gel method via alkoxide and aqueous route. As SiO₂ sources, tetraethoxysilan (TEOS) for the alkoxide route, as well as silica sol Ludox (30%) for the aqueous route, were used. This study shows the influence of the type of silica matrix on the structure, size, and distribution of the Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in the Fe₃O₄-SiO₂ systems. The gels were annealed at 550°C in order to consolidate the matrices. The structural characterization of the obtained materials via the two preparation routes was performed by DTA/TGA analysis, X-ray diffraction, IR and Mössbauer spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED).     

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Based Optimization of Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Rhizome Extract of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Curculigo orchioides</Emphasis> Gaertn. and Its Antioxidant Potential

The present study for the first time explores the use of Central composite design (CCD) of RSM to optimize the process parameters of biosynthesis of AgNPs from rhizome extract of Curculigo orchioides based on the absorbance of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 430 nm that corresponds to the synthesis of mono-disperse, spherical AgNPs. A polynomial model was established as a functional relationship between the synthesis of AgNPs and four independent variables such as concentration of AgNO₃, % rhizome extract, pH and temperature. The optimum conditions for maximum AgNPs synthesis were 2 mM concentration of AgNO₃, 20 % rhizome extract, pH 8, and temperature of 60 °C. A significant correlation (R ² = 0.8947) was observed between the experimental data and the predicted values indicating the adequacy of the model. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed spherical particles with size range of 5–28 nm. Selected area electron diffraction pattern and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the face-centered cubic structure of metallic silver. The plausible mechanism for the reduction of AgNO₃ to AgNPs was proposed following the identification of functional groups by FTIR. The antioxidative activity of AgNPs was demonstrated with scavenging of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radicals.     

Liquid chromatography at the critical condition: Thermodynamic significance and influence of pore size

Liquid chromatography at the critical condition (LCCC) is a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique that lies between size exclusion chromatography and adsorption-based interaction chromatography, where the elution of polymers becomes independent of polymer molecular weight. At LCCC, the balance between the entropic exclusion and the enthalpic adsorption interactions between polymers and stationary phases results in the simultaneous HPLC elution of polymers regardless of molecular weight. Using C18-bonded silica chromatographic columns with 5 μm particle size and different average pore size (diameter = 300 Å, 120 Å, 100 Å, and 50 Å), we report (1) the thermodynamic significance of LCCC conditions and (2) the influence of column pore size on the determination of critical conditions for linear polymer chains. Specifically, we used mixtures of monodisperse polystyrene samples ranging in molecular weight from 162 to 371,100 g/mol and controlled the temperature of the HPLC columns at a fixed composition of a mobile phase consisting of 57(v/v)% methylene chloride and 43(v/v)% acetonitrile. It was found that, at the fixed mobile phase composition, the temperature of LCCC (T_LCCC) is higher for C18-bonded chromatographic columns with larger average pore size. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2533–2540, 2009     

Synthesis of Thermally Stable MCM-41 at Ambient Temperature

A new process to synthesize thermally stable mesoporous molecular sieves of MCM-41 structure based on delayed neutralization at ambient temperature was investigated. All samples synthesized by this new method have BET surface areas of about 1100m²/g and possess high thermal stability up to 900°C. Higher crystallinity and less lattice constriction after calcination were observed for samples with a longer aging period. Those samples with aging time longer than 10 days exhibited four characteristic XRD peaks of MCM-41 both before and after calcination at 560°C. The N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherms of the calcined samples showed larger average pore size and more homogenous pore size distribution. The method was also successfully applied to the synthesis of MCM-41 with different surfactants of hydrocarbon length with 10–18 carbons and proves to be a simple route for obtaining thermally stable MCM-41 at room temperature.