Solid-state NMR study of MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanoparticles

A systematic study of the surface of MCM-41-type mesoporous silica nanoparticles prepared under low surfactant concentration was carried out using high-resolution solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The structures and concentrations of various species present during dehydration and rehydration of mesoporous silicas between -25 and 500 degrees C were detailed by employing one-dimensional and two-dimensional (1)H, (13)C, and (29)Si NMR, including (1)H signal intensity measurements, (1)H-(1)H homonuclear correlation experiments (double quantum, exchange, and RFDR), and (1)H-(29)Si heteronuclear correlation NMR. These experiments employed high MAS rates of up to 45 kHz. The study shows that the surfactant (CTAB) was almost completely removed by acid extraction. The residual molecules assumed prone positions along the pores, with the tailgroup being most mobile. The weakly adsorbed water was hydrogen bonded to the silanol groups, all of which were involved in such bonds under ambient humidity. Specific structures involving water and silanol groups were proposed for various stages of thermal treatment, which included dehydration, dehydroxylation, and subsequent rehydration.     

Structural and dynamical properties of guest molecules confined in mesoporous silica materials revealed by NMR

In the last fifteen years several novel porous silica materials, which are periodically structured on the mesoscopic length scale, have been synthesized. They are of broad interest for fundamental studies of surface-substrate interactions, for studies of the dynamics of guest molecules in confinement and for studies of the effect of confinement on the structural and thermophysical properties of fluids. Examples of such confinement effects include the change of the freezing and melting points or glass transitions of the confined liquids. These effects are studied by combinations of several NMR techniques, such as (15)N- and (2)H-solid-state NMR line shape analysis, MAS NMR and NMR diffusometry with physico-chemical characterization techniques such as nitrogen adsorption and small angle diffraction of neutrons or X-rays. This combination does not require crystalline samples or special clean and well defined surfaces such as conventional surface science techniques, but can work with typical ill-defined real world systems. The review discusses, after a short introduction, the salient features of these materials and the applied NMR experiments to give the reader a basic knowledge of the systems and the experiments. The rest of the review then focuses on the structural and dynamical properties of guest molecules confined in the mesoporous silica. It is shown that the confinement into the pores leads to fascinating new features of the guests, which are often not known for their bulk phases. These features depend strongly on the interplay of the their interactions with the silica surface and their mutual interactions.     

Hyperpolarized 129Xe NMR investigation of multifunctional organic/inorganic hybrid mesoporous silica materials

An extensive study has been made on a series of multifunctional mesoporous silica materials, prepared by introducing two different organoalkoxysilanes, namely 3-[2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethylamino]propyltrimethoxysilane (AEPTMS) and 3-cyanopropyltriethoxysilane (CPTES) during the base-catalyzed condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), using the variable-temperature (VT) hyperpolarized (HP) 129Xe NMR technique. VT HP-129Xe NMR chemical shift measurements of adsorbed xenon revealed that surface properties as well as functionality of these AEP/CP-functionalized microparticles (MP) could be controlled by varying the AEPTMS/CPTES ratio in the starting solution during synthesis. Additional chemical shift contribution due to Xe-moiety interactions was observed for monofunctional AEP-MP and CP-MP as well as for bifunctional AEP/CP-MP samples. In particular, unlike CP-MP that has a shorter organic backbone on the silica surface, the amino groups in the AEP chain tends to interact with the silanol groups on the silica surface causing backbone bending and hence formation of secondary pores in AEP-MP, as indicated by additional shoulder peak at lower field in the room-temperature 129Xe NMR spectrum. The exchange processes of xenon in different adsorption regions were also verified by 2D EXSY HP-129Xe NMR spectroscopy. It is also found that subsequent removal of functional moieties by calcination treatment tends to result in a more severe surface roughness on the pore walls in bifunctional samples compared to monofunctional ones. The effect of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of the organoalkoxysilanes on the formation, pore structure and surface property of these functionalized mesoporous silica materials are also discussed.     

A simple method for the characterization of OHO-hydrogen bonds by H-solid state NMR spectroscopy

A set of OHO hydrogen bonded systems with known neutron diffraction structure has been studied by fast ¹H-MAS echo spectroscopy. It is shown that the application of a simple rotor synchronized echo sequence combined with fast MAS allows a faithful determination of the chemical shift of the proton in the hydrogen bond. Employing the empirical valence bond order model, the experimental ¹H chemical shifts of the hydrogen bonded protons are correlated to the hydrogen bond geometries. The resulting correlation between the proton chemical shift and the deviation of the proton from the center of the hydrogen bond covers a broad range of substances. Deviations from the correlation curve, which are observed in certain systems with strong hydrogen bonds, are explained in terms of proton tautomerism or delocalization in low-barrier hydrogen bonds. These deviations are a highly diagnostic tool to select potential candidates for further experimental and theoretical studies. Thus, the combination of the ¹H-MAS echo sequence with the correlation curve yields a simple and versatile tool for the structural analysis of OHO hydrogen bonds.     

Synthesis of mesoporous silica materials with ascorbic acid as template via sol-gel process

Mesoporous silica materials with pore diameters of 2-5 nm have been prepared using ascorbic acid as a nonsurfactant template or pore-forming agent in HCl-catalyzed sol-gel reactions of tetraethylorthosilicate,followed by removing the ascorbic acid compound by extraction with ethanol.Characterization results from nitrogen sorption isotherm,powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy indicate that the materials have large specific surface areas (e.g.1000 m2/g) and pore volumes (e.g.0.8 cm3/g).The rnesoporosity is arisen from interconnecting disordered wormlike channels and pores with relatively broad size distributions.As the ascorbic acid concentration is increased,the pore diameters and pore volumes of the materials increase.     

Photochange in pore diameters of azobenzene-planted mesoporous silica materials

Azobenzene (Az) groups were planted on the pore wall of mesoporous silica MCM-41 (M41) by silylation of triethoxy[4-phenylazo(phenyl)]silane. The optimal surface density of Az groups was 0.9 group nm-2, and too much loading of Az induced the lowering of the efficiency of the trans-cis isomerization due to the congestion of the groups. The reversible change in the pore diameters upon UV-vis irradiation could not be confirmed by N2 adsorption at 77 K but was revealed to be ca. 1.0 nm by the shift of the UV-vis absorption band of p-N,N-dimethylaminobenzylidenemalononitrile introduced into the Az-modified pores.     

Synthesis and solid-state NMR characterization of cubic mesoporous silica SBA-1 functionalized with sulfonic acid groups

Well-ordered cubic mesoporous silicas SBA-1 functionalized with sulfonic acid groups have been synthesized through in situ oxidation of mercaptopropyl groups with H(2)O(2) via co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) templated by cetyltriethylammonium bromide (CTEABr) under strong acidic conditions. Various synthesis parameters such as the amounts of H(2)O(2) and MPTMS on the structural ordering of the resultant materials were systematically investigated. The materials thus obtained were characterized by a variety of techniques including powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), multinuclear solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, (29)Si{(1)H} 2D HETCOR (heteronuclear correlation) NMR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and nitrogen sorption measurements. By using (13)C CPMAS NMR technique, the status of the incorporated thiol groups and their transformation to sulfonic acid groups can be monitored and, as an extension, to define the optimum conditions to be used for the oxidation reaction to be quantitative. In particular, (29)Si{(1)H} 2D HETCOR NMR revealed that the protons in sulfonic acid groups are in close proximity to the silanol Q(3) species, but not close enough to form a hydrogen bond.     

Nitrogen adsorption on silica surfaces of nonporous and mesoporous materials

We present an accurate comparative analysis of N 2 adsorption at 77 K on nonporous silica and the pore wall surface of MCM-41 materials. The analysis shows that in the low-pressure region of N 2 adsorption obeys a peculiar mechanism governed by short-ranged forces, which makes the surface curvature effect on the N 2 adsorption in mesopores nearly negligible. We used this observation to define more exactly compared to the BET technique the specific surface area of the reference adsorption isotherm on nonporous silica basing on XRD data and linear sections of t-plots. Calculation of the capillary evaporation and condensation pressures seems to confirm our previous finding that the capillary condensation pressure corresponds to the equilibrium transition rather than spinodal condensation at least for pore sizes less than 7 nm. It allowed us to provide more reliable pore size distribution (PSD) analysis of mesoporous silica materials. For example, the PSDs of MCM-41 samples do not show artificial peaks in the micropore range that we obtained in our earlier publications.     

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.     

Rheological behavior of surfactant-based precursors of silica mesoporous materials

The linear and non-linear viscoelastic behaviors of polymer-like micellar solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium tosilate (CTAT) with added NaOH and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to produce precursors of mesoporous materials are studied. The effect of TEOS/CTAT (T/C) ratio at fixed CTAT concentration, CTAT concentration at fixed T/C and aging time are reported. The systems show increasingly larger deviations from near-Maxwell behavior upon increasing T/C ratio, CTAT concentration and aging. Moreover, in steady and unsteady shear-flow, shear banding develops between two critical shear rates, which tend to fade as the T/C ratio and aging increase. The Granek-Cates model is employed to analyze linear viscoelastic behavior. The Bautista-Manero-Puig (BMP) model is used here to reproduce the steady and transient nonlinear rheology of these systems. We explain these results in terms of the changes in inter-macromolecular interactions that arise out of the presence of colloidal additives in the viscoelastic gel. The ordered mesoporous materials were identified by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.     

Mechanism of mesoporous silica formation. A time-resolved NMR and TEM study of silica-block copolymer aggregation

The dynamics of the synthesis of a mesoporous silica material SBA-15 is followed using time-resolved in situ 1H NMR and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Block copolymer-silica particles of two-dimensional hexagonal symmetry evolve from an initially micellar solution. The synthesis was carried out with the block copolymer Pluronic P123 (EO20-PO70-EO20) at 35 degrees C and using tetramethyl orthosilicate as the silica precursor. By using TEM, we can image different stages during the evolution of the synthesis. Flocs of spherical micelles held together by the polymerizing silica are observed prior to precipitation. With time, the structure of these flocs evolves and the transition from spherical to cylindrical hexagonally packed micelles can be monitored. The signal from the methyl protons of the PO part was recorded with 1H NMR. One observes a continuous increase in the signal width but with distinct changes in the spectral characteristics occurring in narrow time intervals. The spectral changes can be attributed to structural changes of the self-assembled aggregates. The 1H NMR and TEM studies reveal the same mechanism of formation. It is concluded that the aggregation is caused by a micelle-micelle attraction induced by oligomeric/polymeric silica that adsorbs to the EO palisade layer of the micelles and has the ability to bridge to another micelle. This adsorption also favors the formation of cylindrical aggregates relative to spherical micelles. The sequence of NMR and TEM observations can then be interpreted as the following sequence of events: (i) silicate adsorption on globular micelles possibly accompanied with some aggregate growth, (ii) the association of these globular micelles into flocs, (iii) the precipitation of these flocs, and (iv) micelle-micelle coalescence generating (semi)infinite cylinders that form the two-dimensional hexagonal packing.     

Electron microscopy study of novel Pt nanowires synthesized in the spaces of silica mesoporous materials.

Structures of Pt-nanowires, synthesized in channels of silica mesoporous materials MCM-41, SBA-15 and MCM-48, were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. One dimensional (1D) Pt-nanowires were formed inside the channels of the MCM-41, and were single crystals with a length of several tens to several hundreds nanometers and a diameter of ca. 3 nm pt-nanowires synthesized in SBA-15 formed a new 3D-network following 3D-pore geometry of SBA-15; that is, the main 1D-channels are interconnected to each other through randomly distributed tunnels. These Pt-nanowires showed a well single crystalline. MCM-48 has two non-intersecting chiral channels, and Pt-networks were mostly formed in one of the two channels. Therefore the networks were also chiral; however, the chirality of Pt-networks remained to be determined. It was shown that all Pt-nanowires were formed following the channel geometries of silica mesoporous materials used.     

Synthesis of lamellar mesoporous silica materials using LCs as templates

The study focuses on the synthesis of mesoporous silica materials using liquid crystals (LCs) formed in an aqueous mixture of cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as templates and tetrathoxysilane (TEOS) as precursor. For this purpose, the phase behavior and range of LC areas were determined at different temperatures, concentrations, and ratios of CTAB/SDS. It was found that LCs became denser with the increased of concentration of surfactants. The mesoporous materials were synthesized using LCs as templates at various temperatures, surfactant concentrations, and pH values. The mesoporous samples were characterized using SEM and nitrogen sorption analysis. The research results showed that the structure of synthesized samples were lamellar and their surface areas increased significantly with the increase of temperature in the temperature range of LCs, reaching about 900?m²/g at 60°C. The surfactant concentrations affect the thickness of pore wall and thereby the specific surface area of products. The specific surface area and the order of mesoporous sample increased gradually with the decrease of pH.     

Nonionic fluorinated-hydrogenated surfactants for the design of mesoporous silica materials

We have investigated the influence of the ratio between the volume of the hydrophilic head ( V A) and the volume of the hydrophobic part ( V B) of the surfactant on the mesopore ordering. To understand the difference of behavior we have performed a complete study dealing with fluorinated [R m (F)(EO) n ] and hydrogenated [R m (H)(EO) n ] surfactants. Their mixtures have also been taken into account. Here only the phase diagrams and the structural parameters of the liquid crystal phases of the mixed systems are reported. We have shown that the mutual or partial miscibility of the fluorinated and the hydrogenated surfactants depends on the number of oxyethylene units of each surfactant. To follow, various systems were used for the preparation of silica mesoporous materials via a cooperative templating mechanism (CTM). Results clearly reveal that V A/ V B ratios in the range between 0.95 and 1.78 lead to the formation of well-ordered mesostructures. Wormhole-like structures are obtained for higher or lower values. Moreover, results show that from the V A/ V B point of view, polyoxyethylene fluoroalkyl ether surfactants behave like their hydrogenated analogues.     

Water behavior in mesoporous materials as studied by NMR relaxometry

Water in mesoporous materials possessing a two-dimensional hexagonal structure has been studied by the variation of its NMR longitudinal relaxation time T(1) as a function of the static magnetic field value, or equivalently of the NMR measurement frequency. This technique, dubbed relaxometry, has been applied from 5 kHz (measurement frequency) up to 400 MHz with various instruments including a variable-field spectrometer operating between 8 and 90 MHz. Moreover, the range 0-5 kHz could be investigated by transverse relaxation, T(2) denoting the corresponding relaxation time, and relaxation in the rotating frame, T(1ρ) denoting the corresponding relaxation time. Measurements of proton relaxation rates (inverse of relaxation times) have been performed with H(2)O and HOD (residual protons of heavy water) at water volumes of 80%, 60%, and 40% relative to the porous volume. Comparison between H(2)O and HOD shows clearly that, above 1 MHz where both sets of data are superposed, relaxation is purely intermolecular and due to paramagnetic relaxation (dipolar interactions of water protons with unpaired electrons of paramagnetic entities). Below 1 MHz, it is possible to subtract the intermolecular contribution (given by HOD data) from H(2)O data so that one is left with intramolecular relaxation which is solely due to water reorientational motions. The analysis of these low-frequency data (in terms of Lorentzian functions) reveals two types of water within the pores: one interacting strongly with the surface and the other corresponding to a second layer. High-frequency data, which arise from paramagnetic relaxation, exhibit again two types of water. Due to their correlation times, one type is assigned to relatively free water within the pores while the other type corresponds to bulk (interparticular) water. Their proportions, given as a function of the volume fraction, are consistent with the above assignments.     

Luciferase and luciferin co-immobilized mesoporous silica nanoparticle materials for intracellular biocatalysis

We report a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-capped mesoporous silica nanoparticle (Au-MSN) platform for intracellular codelivery of an enzyme and a substrate with retention of bioactivity. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, Au-MSNs are shown to release luciferin from the interior pores of MSN upon AuNP uncapping in response to disulfide-reducing antioxidants and codeliver bioactive luciferase from the PEGylated exterior surface of Au-MSN to Hela cells. The effectiveness of luciferase-catalyzed luciferin oxidation and luminescence emission in the presence of intracellular ATP was measured by a luminometer. Overall, the chemical tailorability of the Au-MSN platform to retain enzyme bioactivity, the ability to codeliver enzyme and substrate, and the potential for imaging tumor growth and metastasis afforded by intracellular ATP- and glutathione-dependent bioluminescence make this platform appealing for intracellular controlled catalysis and tumor imaging.     

Mixed surfactants-directed the mesoporous silica materials with various morphologies and structures

A new mixed surfactants system using alkyl carboxylic acids and quaternized poly[bis(2-chloroethyl)ether-alt-1,3-bis[3-(dimethylamino)propyl] urea] (PEPU) as the co-template was used to synthesize mesoporous silica materials with various morphologies and structures, including flakes, regular spheres, nanoparticles, and tube-spheres. The cationic polymer connected the anionic surfactant micelle to the anionic polysilicate species to induce the synthesis of the mesoporous silica materials. The structure and property of the surfactant and the cationic polymer determined the formation of mesoporous silica, and also had a signification influence on the morphology and structure of the final materials. To further explore the possible formation mechanism of these mesoporous materials, zeta potential was utilized to evaluate the interaction between the anionic surfactant and the cationic co-template. In addition, the structure, morphology, and porosity of these materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N₂ adsorption-desorption measurements.     

The effective dipole moments of isobutyric acid in the liquid state and dilute solutions in methanol

The dipole moments of isobutyric acid (I) were determined in the liquid state (μ₁) and dilute solutions in methanol (μ₁) at 20–50°C. The permittivity of I in the liquid state was found to increase as the temperature grew, and the permittivity of solutions of I was lower than that of pure methanol; it decreased as the concentration of I and the temperature of solutions increased. The effective dipole moments of I were calculated using the Onsager polarization theory for the pure liquid and the Buckingham statistical polarization theory for solutions with various acid concentrations in methanol. The small μ₁ (～0.8 D) and higher μ₂ (～3.0 D) values compared with the dipole moment of I in the gas phase μ₀ (1.9 D) were analyzed as determined by the character of acid-acid, acid-solvent, and solvent-solvent intermolecular interactions, a key role in which was played by H-bonds. An analysis of the dipole moments of I in methanolic solutions led us to conclude that the μ₁ and μ₂ values corresponded to the dipole moments of associates and solvates comprising like and unlike molecules linked by intermolecular H-bonds. Their stoichiometry changed as the temperature increased.     

Effect of synthesis time and treatment on porosity of mesoporous silica materials

Nitrogen adsorption at 77 K on mesoporous silica materials (MPS) with varying synthesis time and treatment conditions was investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were also used to characterize the mesoporous materials. This study was performed at 6, 24 and 72-h synthesis times. It is shown that 6-h is not enough for complete formation of the MPS material and at least 24-h is necessary. The pore structure starts decaying for the 72-h synthesis time. The three-after-synthesis treatment conditions used were 1) washed, 2) washed and calcined and 3) directly calcined after synthesis. Ethanol/HCl mixtures were used for washing and calcinations were performed at 550°C. Among these samples, directly washed sample yields the lowest adsorption capacity while washed and calcined sample yields the highest adsorption capacity. Hence, it is concluded that washing stabilizes the structure before high temperature treatment.