Hardy Müller

Fabrication of carbon/silica hybrid materials using cationic polymerization and the sol‐gel process

Silica particles with different morphology have been functionalized with carbon shells by different synthetic procedures. In the key step, the bare silica particles are functionalized by a specific cationic surface polymerization with furfuryl alcohol (FA). The polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA)/silica hybrid particles have been also post-functionalized with maleic anhydride (MSA) by a Diels Alder reaction. Simultaneously occuring cationic polymerization of FA and sol-gel process with TEOS has been used for producing interpenetrating carbon-silica hybrid materials. The thermal transformation of the PFA component on silica into the carbon phase has been carried out under argon atmosphere in a temperature range from 700 °C to 900 °C. The influence of the former morphology of the silica on the homogenity of the resulting carbon layer is shown by zetapotential measurements and electron microscopic investigations.

Fabrication of Chromophoric Xerogels by Synergistic Combination of Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution and the Sol-Gel Process

The nucleophilic substitution of fluorine of aromatic compounds with n-aminoalkyl trialkoxysilanes and consecutive sol-gel process have been used for the fabrication of various chromophoric sol-gel materials. The displacement of the fluoro substituent of an activated aromatic molecule occurs by a primary or secondary amino group of (CH3O)3Si-(CH2)3-NHR [R- = H-; CH3-, (CH3O)3Si-(CH2)3-] in tetraalkoxysilane or alcohol as solvent and the sol-gel process can be carried in the same vessel. The HF formed is trapped by a tertiary amine and simultaneously serves as the catalyst for the sol-gel process. Various aromatic compounds have been checked for this purpose: 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-nitroethylene, 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-2,2-dicyanoethylene, 4-fluorobenzonitrile, 4-fluoronitrobenzene, 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone, 4,4′-difluorobenzil, 7,7′-difluorodibenzylideneacetone, tetrafluoro-p-benzoquinone, and 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. Mono and disubstitution has been studied by UV/Vis- and solid state NMR spectroscopy of the xerogels.