Structural and Optical Properties of Sol-Gel Derived Aluminosilicate Planar Waveguides Doped with Er3+ Ions

Er3+ doped-aluminosilicate thin films were prepared on silica and silica/Si substrates by the sol-gel process and dip-coating. The sol-gel aluminosilicate planar waveguides were prepared from silicon and aluminium alkoxides. Their structural characterization has been carried out by Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force and Scanning Electron Microscopies. The results indicated that these films present an amorphous structure until an annealing temperature of 900°C, while at temperatures higher than 1000°C, crystallization occurs. An estimate of microcrystallite sizes using Raman spectroscopy is given, which agrees with data from scanning electron microscopy. The optical properties have been investigated by Fluorescence spectroscopy in the visible region.     

The discovery of polymer‐clay hybrids

The first successful example of a polymer‐clay hybrid was nylon‐clay hybrid (NCH), which is a nano‐meter‐sized composite of nylon‐6 and 1‐nm‐thick exfoliated aluminosilicate layers of the clay mineral. NCH was found and developed at Toyota Central Research and Development Laboratories over 17 years ago. The NCH containing a few weight percentages of clay exhibits superior properties such as high modulus, high strength, and good gas‐barrier properties. The key for the discovery of NCH was the polymerization of a nylon monomer in the interlayer space of the clay. This highlight presents the development of NCH from its discovery to its commercialization. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 819–824, 2004     

Preliminary Study on the Effect of pH on Thermal Transformation of Some Diphasic Al2O3-SiO2 Gels

Diphasic Al₂O₃-SiO₂ gels have been synthesized by hydrolyzing ethyl orthosilicate at three different pH ranges in presence of colloidal boehmite. Result shows that dominant mullitization process are sensitive to pH of the gelation process. At highly acidic pH range, solid state reaction between corundum and cristobalite occurs, and develops liquid phase for mullite nucleation. At moderately acidic pH, nucleation and crystallization are most operative for nucleation in aluminosilicate matrix. In highly basic pH region, Al-Si spinel phase develops by incorporation of Si in aluminous phase as intermediary phase. Polymorphic transformation of it may be the cause of sudden mullitization. The changes in crystallization sequence in three distinct processes may be due to variation in the nature and size of silicic acid particle formed by hydrolysis and condensation of TEOS at different pH.     

SrO—Al2O3—SiO2：Eu^3＋,Bi^3＋发光体的溶胶—凝胶法合成

制备无机固体材料大都采用高温固相反应,1971年Dislich报导了用溶胶-凝胶法制备多组份固体材料。近年来,有报导利用此法研制玻璃、玻璃陶瓷和陶瓷。我们在过去工作的基础上,合成了SrO-Al_2O_3-SiO_2:Eu~(3 ),Bi~(3 )发光体,研究了从凝胶至发光晶体的转变过程、Eu~(3 )和Bi~(3 )在SrO-Al_2O_3-SiO_2基质中的发光性质以及Bi~(3 )对 EU~(3 )的能量传递。     

Effect of ultrasound on the synthesis of low-modulus zeolites from a metakaolin

It was studied the effect of ultrasonic processing (22 kHz) of the aqueous suspension of metakaolin, sodium hydroxide and alumina with a molar ratio 2Al₂Si₂O₇:12NaOH:2Al₂O₃ on the low-modulus zeolite synthesis processes. To investigate the XRD, SEM, IR, EDS had been used. It was shown that after ultrasonic processing, sodium aluminates are formed, what leads to a change in process of further synthesis. It was found that without ultrasonic processing on the stage of thermal treatment at 650 °C, SOD zeolite (|Na₆|[Al₆Si₆O₂₄]) and sodium aluminosilicate (Na₆Al₄Si₄O₁₇) are synthesized. In the sample after ultrasound during thermal treatment, only sodium aluminosilicates of cubic syngony (Na₆Al₄Si₄O₁₇ and Na₈Al₄Si₄O₁₈) are formed. It was demonstrated that sodium aluminosilicates are precursors for the formation of LTA zeolite (|Na₁₂|[Al₁₂Si₁₂O₄₈]). As a result zeolitization of sodium aluminosilicates after the hydrothermal crystallization in alkaline solution, the sonicated sample contained 97 wt% LTA. Without ultrasonic processing, the product of synthesis contained 50 wt% SOD and 40 wt% LTA.     

Sustainable Route for Synthesizing Aluminosilicate EU-1 Zeolite

Developing sustainable routes for the synthesis of zeolites is still a vital and challenging task in zeolite scientific community. One of the typical examples is sustainable synthesis of aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite, which is not very efficient and environmental-unfriendly under hydrothermal condition due to the use of a large amount of water as solvent. Herein, we report a sustainable synthesis route for aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite without the use of solvent for the first time. The physicochemical properties of the obtained EU-1 zeolite are characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), N₂ sorption, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis, and solid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which show the product has high crystallinity, uniform morphology, large BET surface area, and four-coordinated aluminum species. Moreover, the impact of synthesis conditions is investigated in detail. The sustainable synthesis of aluminosilicate EU-1 zeolite under solvent-free     

Synthesis and characterization of submicron-sized mesoporous aluminosilicate spheres

Mesoporous aluminosilicate spheres of 0.3–0.4 Μm diameter, with different Si/Al ratios, have been prepared by surfactant templating. Surface area of these materials is in the 510–970 m² g^-1 range and pore diameter in the 15–20 ? range.     

Cooperative luminescence and absorption in ytterbium doped aluminosilicate glass optical fibres and preforms

The cooperative luminescence and absorption properties of Yb³⁺ doped aluminosilicate glass optical fibres and preforms are investigated in detail. In accordance with previous investigations, both the visible cooperative luminescence and the infrared luminescence decay measurements have been resolved into a single exponential decay component. We show that for a glass with similar Yb³⁺ dopant concentration but more Al³⁺, the glass emits less visible luminescence. Absorption loss measurements completed on fibre samples revealed a broad absorption in the 350-500 nm range, which we propose is due to a combination of Yb²⁺ absorption and cooperative absorption from Yb³⁺ ion pairs.     

Low‐temperature sol–gel transformation of methyl silicon precursors to silica‐based hybrid materials

Six new methyl silicon (IV) precursors of the type [MeSi{ON?C(R)Ar}₃] [when R = Me, Ar = 2‐C₅H₄N ( 1 ), 2‐C₄H₃O ( 2 ) or 2‐C₄H₃S ( 3 ); and when R = H, Ar = 2‐C₅H₄N ( 4 ), 2‐C₄H₃O ( 5 ) or 2‐C₄H₃S ( 6 )] were prepared and structurally characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. Molecular weight measurements and FAB (Fast Atomic Bombardment) mass spectral studies indicated their monomeric nature. ¹H and ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectral studies suggested the oximate ligands to be monodentate in solution, which was confirmed by ²⁹Si{¹H} NMR signals in the region expected for tetra‐coordinated methylsilicon (IV) derivatives. Thermogravimetric analysis of 1 revealed the complex to be thermally labile, decomposing to a hybrid material of definite composition. Two representative compounds ( 2 and 4 ) were studied as single source molecular precursor for low‐temperature transformation to silica‐based hybrid materials using sol–gel technique. Formation of homogenous methyl‐bonded silica materials (MeSiO_3/2) at low sintering temperature was observed. The thermogravimetric analysis of the methylsilica material indicated that silicon‐methyl bond is thermally stable up to a temperature of 400 °C. Reaction of 2 and Al(OPrⁱ)₃ in equimolar ratio in anhydrous toluene yielded a brown‐colored viscous liquid of the composition [MeSi{ON?C(CH₃)C₄H₃O}₃.Al(OPrⁱ)₃]. Spectroscopic techniques ¹H, ¹³C{¹H}, ²⁷Al{¹H} and ²⁹Si{¹H} NMR spectra of the viscous product indicated the presence of tetracoordination around both silicon and aluminum atoms. On hydrolysis it yielded methylated aluminosilicate material with high specific surface area (464 m²/g). Scanning electron micrography confirmed a regular porous structure with porosity in the nanometric range. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intercalated clay nanocomposites: Morphology,mechanics, and fracture behavior

Intercalated nanocomposites of modified montmorillonite clays in a glassy epoxy were prepared by crosslinking with commercially available aliphatic diamine curing agents. These materials are shown to have improved Young's modulus but corresponding reductions in ultimate strength and strain to failure. The results were consistent with most particulate‐filled systems. The macroscopic compressive behavior was unchanged, although the failure mechanisms in compression varied from the unmodified samples. The fracture toughness of these materials was investigated and improvements in toughness values of 100% over unmodified resin were demonstrated. The fracture‐surface topology was examined using scanning electron and tapping‐mode atomic force microscopies and shown to be related to the clay morphology of the system. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 1137–1146, 2001