Polycondensation alkoxides

SiHca gels may also be produced by the hydrolysis and polycondensation of siHcon alkoxides, eg, tetraethylorthosiHcate, Si(OC2H )4. This is often... 

Overview. Three approaches are used to make most sol—gel products method 1 involves gelation of a dispersion of colloidal particles method 2 employs hydrolysis and polycondensation of alkoxide or metal salts precursors followed by supercritical drying of gels and method 3 involves hydrolysis and polycondensation of alkoxide precursors followed by aging and drying under ambient atmospheres. 

S.3.2 Sol-Gel Encapsulation of Reactive Species Another new and attractive route for tailoring electrode surfaces involves the low-temperature encapsulation of recognition species within sol-gel films (41,42). Such ceramic films are prepared by the hydrolysis of an alkoxide precursor such as, Si(OCH3)4 under acidic or basic condensation, followed by polycondensation of the hydroxylated monomer to form a three-dimensional interconnected porous network. The resulting porous glass-like material can physically retain the desired modifier but permits its interaction with the analyte that diffuses into the matrix. Besides their ability to entrap the modifier, sol-gel processes offer tunability of the physical characteristics... 

Further examination has shown that the acid content should be small in order for the solution to become spinnable in the course of hydrolysis and polycondensation. It has been found (4 ) that very large concentrations at more than 0.15 in the [HCl]/[Metal alkoxide] ratio of acid catalyst produce round-shaped particles in the tetra-ethoxysilane (7) and tetramethoxysilane solutions, and so no spinnability appears. 

The basic sol-gel reaction can be viewed as a two-step network-forming polymerization process. Initially a metal alkoxide (usually TEOS, Si(OCIl2CH )4) is hydrolyzed generating ethanol and several metal hydroxide species depending on the reaction conditions. These metal hydroxides then undergo a step-wise polycondensation forming a three-dimensional network in the process. The implication here is that the two reactions, hydrolysis and condensation, occur in succession this is not necessarily true (8.9). Depending on the type of catalyst and the experimental conditions used, these reactions typically occur simultaneously and in fact may show some reversibility. 

The synthesis of precursors A and B (see Figure 12.10) has been described by Michalczyk et al. [102]. These compounds can be synthesised from platinum-catalysed hydrosilylation reactions, that is addition reactions between Si—H and C=C groups in the presence of a catalyst. Once the pure precursors are obtained, BSG can be synthesised by incorporation of calcium alkoxide during polycondensation of the precursors. 

The sol-gel process involves hydrolysis of alkoxide precursors under acidic or basic conditions, followed by condensation and polycondensation of the hydroxylated units, which lead to the formation of porous gel. Typically a low molecular weight metal alkoxide precursor molecule such as tetramethoxy silane (TMOS) or tetra ethoxysilane (TEOS) is hydrolyzed first in the presence of water, acid catalyst, and mutual solvent... 

The hydrolytic polycondensation of silicon alkoxides of general formula Si(OR)4 or R/ Si(OR)4 , where the non-reactive organofunc-tional group R acts as a network modifier, is carried out in the presence of dopant molecules resulting in the formation of highly porous, reactive organosilicates whose applications span many traditional domains of chemistry. 

Silica-based materials obtained by the sol-gel process are perhaps the most promising class of functional materials capable to meet such a grand objective. In the sol-gel process liquid precursors such as silicon alkoxides are mixed and transformed into silica via hydrolytic polycondensation at room temperature. Called soft chemitry or chimie douce, this approach to the synthesis of glasses at room temperature and pressure and in biocompatible conditions (water, neutral pH) has been pioneered by Livage and Rouxel in the 1970s, and further developed by Sanchez, Avnir, Brinker and Ozin. 

Generally, two common methods, the Stober method and the reverse microemulsion method are used for synthesis of silica nanoparticles. As derivatives of a sol-gel process, both methods involve hydrolysis of a silicon alkoxide precursor to form a hydroxysilicate followed by polycondensation of the hydroxysilicate to form a silica nanoparticle [44]. 

The reverse microemulsion method can be used to manipulate the size of silica nanoparticles [25]. It was found that the concentration of alkoxide (TEOS) slightly affects the size of silica nanoparticles. The majority of excess TEOS remained unhydrolyzed, and did not participate in the polycondensation. The amount of basic catalyst, ammonia, is an important factor for controlling the size of nanoparticles. When the concentration of ammonium hydroxide increased from 0.5 (wt%) to 2.0%, the size of silica nanoparticles decreased from 82 to 50 nm. Most importantly, in a reverse microemulsion, the formation of silica nanoparticles is limited by the size of micelles. The sizes of micelles are related to the water to surfactant molar ratio. Therefore, this ratio plays an important role for manipulation of the size of nanoparticles. In a Triton X-100/n-hexanol/cyclohexane/water microemulsion, the sizes of obtained silica nanoparticles increased from 69 to 178 nm, as the water to Triton X-100 molar ratio decreased from 15 to 5. The cosurfactant, n-hexanol, slightly influences the curvature of the radius of the water droplets in the micelles, and the molar ratio of the cosurfactant to surfactant faintly affects the size of nanoparticles as well. 

The amorphous silica matrixes are porous network structures that allow other species to penetrate [44]. Thus, the doped dye molecules have the ability to react with targets. However, the reaction kinetics is significantly different than the molecules in a bulk solution. In the synthesis of DDSNs, commonly used silicon alkoxides including TEOS and TMOS have tetrahedron structures, which allow compact polycondensation. As a result, the developed silica nanomatrix can be very dense. The small pore sizes provide limited and narrow pathways for other species to diffuse into the silica matrix. 

Recently, the synthesis of nano-sized HA has been proposed via reverse-micro-emulsion preparation, which is reported to be effective for controlling the hydrolysis and polycondensation of the alkoxides of the constituents. Using this preparation route, the nanoparticles crystallize directly to the desired phase at the relatively low temperature of 1050 °C and maintain surface areas higher than 100 m g after calcination at 1300 °C for 2h [107-109]. 

The ether elimination is also observed as the first step in thermal decomposition of these alkoxides. The same reaction appears also to be responsible for the observed difference in the hydrolytic behavior of molybdenum and tungsten alkoxides the hydrolysis of the W alkoxides leads as for the majority of other metal alkoxides to the formation of hydroxospecies, forming sols and gels on polycondensation, while in the case of Mo alkoxides the added water, being a stronger acid than alcohols, acts as a catalyst for the ether elimination reaction and causes the formation of individual isopolyanions (independently of the nature of the alkyl radical or quantity of water added) [1774] ... 

The formation of a sol-gel porous material is through a hydrolysis-polycondensation reaction. An example is given in equation 1 with the methoxide of silicon (tetramethyl-orthosilicate, TMOS), but many other alkoxides, aryl oxides and acyl oxides can be used, as well as Si—N and Si—Cl compounds. 

FIGURE 2. Glassy silica needles (2 mm x 30 gm) produced in copious amount by a marine sponge. Each needle contains an occluded axial filament comprised of silicateins, enzyme-like proteins that catalyze and spatially direct the polycondensation of silicon alkoxides and silicic acid at neutral pjj41,42 Reprinted from Reference 3, copyright (1999), with permission from Elsevier Science... 

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