COLL 242 |
| Mietek Jaroniec, Department of Chemistry, Kent State University, 201 Williams Hall, Kent, OH 44242 and Rebecca Sutton, Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907. |
| Periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) are under strenuous study because of their unique structure and numerous applications, including catalysis, molecular sieving, and templating synthesis of novel nanomaterials. The current study is focused on the modification of cage-like PMOs, such as ethanesilica, with various organosilanes in order to determine and control the size of the pore entrance. Nitrogen adsorption and thermogravimetry are used to determine how effectively the organosilane ligands block the interconnecting pores of the cage-like structures and to estimate how completely these ligands have covered the pore interior. Comparative analysis of PMOs modified with organosilanes of different sizes allows us to identify the silane, which effectively blocks the pore entrance and consequently, to determine the size of this entrance. In addition, the size of the pore entrance and the surface properties of the pore walls are tailored by selecting the grafting ligand of proper size and specific functionality. |
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Fundamental Research in Colloid and Surface Chemistry
Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry |