S. V. Ingale

Effect of concentration of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) and hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ) silylating agents on surface free energy of silica aerogels

The surface free energy of a solid determines its surface and interfacial behavior in processes like wetting and adhesion which is crucial for silica aerogels in case of organic liquid absorption and transportation of chemicals at nano-scale for biotechnological applications. Here, we have demonstrated that the surface free energy of aerogels can be tuned in wide range from 5.5892 to 0.3073 mJ/m(2) by modifying their surface using TMCS and HMDZ silylating reagents. The alcogels were prepared by two step acid-base catalyzed process where the molar ratio of precursors Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS):Methanol (MeOH):Oxalic acid:NH(4)OH:NH(4)F was kept at optimal value of 1:2.7:0.18×10(-4):0.02:0.22×10(-3), respectively. To modify gel surfaces, TMCS and HMDZ concentration have been varied from 3% to 12% and such alcogels were dried at ambient pressure. It is observed from FTIR for aerogels that increase in concentration of silylating reagent resulted increase in hydrophobicity. This leads to increase in contact angle for water from 123° to 155° but leads to decrease in surface free energy from 5.5892 to 0.3073 mJ/m(2). As there is not direct method, we have used Neumanns equation of state to estimate surface energy of aerogels.

Effect of surface composition and roughness on the apparent surface free energy of silica aerogel materials

Surface chemical composition and morphology play an important role in determining the superhydrophobic behavior of solids. To provide insights on the influence of surface chemical composition and roughness on superhydrophobic behaviour of tetramethoxysilane based silica aerogel materials over a wide range, we have carried out a quantitative study of the effect of hydrophobic agent on contact angle and surface free energy of silica aerogels. The apparent surface free energy values were calculated using Zisman method and validated by Fowkes-Girifalco-Good theory.

Synthesis of nanosized platinum based catalyst using sol-gel process

The nano-sized platinum based catalysts using high surface area silica support have been prepared by sol-gel method. Tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) diluted in methanol was hydrolyzed to form a porous silica gel. Platinum (2%) was loaded at sol state using platinum chloride solution. After gelation, the solvent from the gel pores was extracted at ambient temperature which resulted in porous silica matrix incorporated with nanosized platinum. X-ray diffraction studies indicated the presence of elemental platinum in the silica-platinum composites. Transmission electron microscopy of the platinum -silica composites revealed that nanosized platinum particles of about 5-10 nm are homogeneously dispersed in silica matrix. Chemisorptions studies showed high dispersion (more than 50%) of platinum on silica support with specific surface area of 400 m2/g which puts them as promising candidates as catalyst in heterogeneous reactions.