Thermal and Temporal Aging of Two Step Acid-Base Catalyzed Silica Gels in Water/Ethanol Solutions

Dissolution and reprecipitation of silica during aging in water improve the wet gels mechanical stiffness and strength, and hence shrinkage during supercritical drying is reduced. We have investigated how the strength and stiffness of a 2-step TEOS acid-base catalyzed wet gel can be improved by aging in a solution of water/ethanol (20–40 vol%) at various temperatures (20–70°C) and time (2 h and 24 h) and how this influences the aerogels properties. The linear shrinkage during supercritical drying was reduced from 29% to 2% by introducing the aging step in the 20 vol% water/ethanol solution for 24 h at 60°C.We have also in previous works introduced the idea of preparing ambient pressure dried silica aerogels by increasing the wet gels stiffness by aging in a TEOS solution until shrinkage during drying is almost eliminated. The gels aged in the water/ethanol solutions were further aged in a TEOS/ethanol solution and the effect of the increasing water content in the pore liquid was studied. A xerogel density of 0.20 g/cm³ is reported for gels with a shear modulus (G) of 30 MPa.     

Effects of incorporation of modified silica nanoparticles on the mechanical and thermal properties of PMMA

Silica nanoparticles of various sizes have been incorporated by melt compounding in a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix to enhance its thermal and mechanical properties. In order to improve nanoparticles dispersion, PMMA grafted particles have been prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from well-defined silica nanoparticles. This strategy was expected to ensure compatibility between both components of the PMMA nanocomposites. TEM analysis have been performed to evaluate the nanosilica dispersion whereas modified and non-modified silica/PMMA nanocomposites thermal stability and mechanical properties have been investigated by both thermogravimetric and dynamical mechanical analysis.     

Nanoflower-like composites of ZnO/SiO2 synthesized using bamboo leaves ash as reusable photocatalyst

In this study, the synthesis of ZnO/SiO₂ nanocomposites using bamboo leaf ash (BLA) and tested their photocatalytic activity for rhodamine B decolorization have been conducted. The nanocomposites were prepared by the sol–gel reaction of zinc acetate dihydrate, which was used as a zinc oxide precursor, with silica gel obtained from the caustic extraction of BLA. The effect of the Zn content (5, 10, and 20 wt%) on the physicochemical characteristics and photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposites was investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, gas sorption, and transmission electron microscopy characterization confirmed the mesoporous structure of the composites containing nanoflower-like ZnO (wurtzite) nanoparticles of 10–30 nm in size dispersed on the silica support. Further, the nanocomposites were confirmed to be composed of ZnO/SiO₂ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Meanwhile, diffuse-reflectance UV–visible spectrophotometry analysis of the nanocomposites revealed band gap energies of 3.38–3.39 eV. Of the tested nanocomposites, that containing 10 wt% Zn exhibited the highest decolorization efficiency (99%) and fastest decolorization rate. In addition, the degradation efficiencies were not reduced significantly after five repeated runs, demonstrating the reusability of the nanocomposite catalysts. Therefore, the ZnO/SiO₂ nanocomposite obtained from BLA is a promising reusable photocatalyst for the degradation of dye-polluted water.     

Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Coatings

Two types of organic/inorganic hybrid coatings were produced by the sol-gel route from (a) 80% tetra-ethoxy-silane (TEOS) and 20% glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxy-silane (GPTMS) and (b) GPTMS with varying amounts of diethylene-triamine (DETA). Residual stress was measured from substrate curvature and modulus and hardness were studied using nano-indentation.Coatings derived from 80TEOS/20GPTMS are relatively stiff and brittle. Tensile residual stress, elastic modulus and hardness all increase as the curing temperature is increased to 350°C. The organic components are not cross-linked and act as network modifiers.Coatings derived from GPTMS/DETA are less stiff and softer. Increasing the DETA content increases both E and H by increasing the connectivity of the organic network which dominates the mechanical properties. Thermal degradation begins at about 250°C in all cases, but is retarded when the connectivity of the organic network is high.     

Co2+@Mesoporous Silica Monoliths: Tailor‐Made Nanoreactors for Confined Soft Chemistry

Mesoporous silica monoliths with various ordered nanostructures containing transition metal M²⁺ cations in variable amounts were elaborated and studied. A phase diagram depicting the different phases as a function of the M²⁺ salt/tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) and surfactant P123/TMOS ratios was established. Thermal treatment resulted in mesoporous monoliths containing isolated, accessible M²⁺ species or condensed metal oxides, hydroxides, and salts, depending on the strength of the interactions between the metal species and the ethylene oxide units of P123. The ordered mesoporosity of the monoliths containing accessible M²⁺ ions was used as a nanoreactor for the elaboration of various transition metal compounds (Prussian blue analogues, Hofmann compounds, metal–organic frameworks), and this opens the way to the elaboration of a large range of nanoparticles of multifunctional materials.