Study of the Acidic Sites and Their Modifications in Mesoporous Silica Synthesized in Acidic Medium under Quiescent Conditions

Composite Membranes Based on Functionalized Mesostructured Cellular Foam Particles and Sulfonated Poly(Ether Ether Sulfone) with Potential Application in Fuel Cells

Composite polymeric membranes were designed based on sulfonated poly(ether ether sulfone) (sPEES) and mesostructured cellular foam (MCF) silica nanoparticles functionalized with organic compounds. Parameters such as molecular weight (MW) of the polymer, nature of the functional group of the MCF silica, and percentage of silica charge were evaluated on the final properties of the membranes. Composite membrane characterization was carried out on their water retention capacity (high MW polymer between 20-46% and for the low MW between 20-60%), ion exchange capacity (IEC) (high MW polymer between 0.02 mmol/g-0.07 mmol/g and low MW between 0.03-0.09 mmol/g) and proton conductivity (high MW polymer molecular between 15-70 mS/cm and low MW between 0.1-150 mS/cm). Finally, the membrane prepared with the low molecular weight polymer and 3% wt. of functionalized silica with sulfonic groups exhibited results similar to Nafion^® 117.

Decontamination of radionuclides by functionalized mesoporous silica under gamma irradiation

Schiff base functionalized mesoporous silica (SA-SBA-15) was synthesized by the co-condensation method to remove the radioactive corrosion products from contaminated water coming from nuclear installations.

Spectroscopic study on the active site of a SiO2 supported niobia catalyst used for the gas-phase Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime to ε-caprolactam

Formation of a Brønsted-acidic site out of a Lewis-acidic mono-oxo NbO₄ surface species and ethanol, catalysed by a Lewis-basic molecule, e.g. pyridine or cyclohexanone oxime.

Physicochemical characterization and surface acid properties of mesoporous [Al]-SBA-15 obtained by direct synthesis

In this work, [Al]-SBA-15 samples were prepared by three different direct synthesis methods and one postsynthesis procedure, aiming to study the influence of the preparation procedures on their structural, textural, and physicochemical features. To this aim, samples were investigated by combining different experimental techniques (XRD, N(2) physisorption, (27)Al-MAS NMR, and IR spectroscopy). All preparation methods led to the formation of aluminum-containing SBA-15 samples. Nevertheless, depending on the preparation procedure, samples exhibited different structural, textural, and surface characteristics, especially in terms of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites content. [Al]-SBA-15(1) was synthesized by the pH-adjusting method and presented the lowest surface area and pore volumes. Its surface displayed three families of medium and one family of high strength Brønsted acid sites. The Brønsted/Lewis ratio was 3.49. [Al]-SBA-15(2) and [Al]-SBA-15(3) were synthesized by prehydrolysis of the silica and the aluminum precursors. In [Al]-SBA-15(2), ammonium fluoride was used as silica condensation catalyst. These two materials presented similar surface area, pore diameters and volumes, and Brønsted acidity. The Brønsted/Lewis acid sites ratio were 3.07 and 2.15 for [Al]-SBA-15(2) and [Al]-SBA-15(3), respectively. The [Al]-SBA-15(P) obtained by postsynthesis alumination displayed surface area similar to that of [Al]-SBA-15(3), Brønsted/Lewis acid sites ratio of 2.75, and Brønsted acidity similar to that of [Al]-SBA-15(1). The presence of extra-framework aluminum oxide was identified only on [Al]-SBA-15(3) and [Al]-SBA-15(P).

The characterization of phospholipid functional group probe species on respirable silicon-containing dusts by solid-state 13C and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies are reported for the interactions of probe molecules with respirable silicon-containing dusts as experimental evidence complementing computational studies reported by Snyder and Madura recently in J. Phys. Chem. B 112, 7095 (2008). The selected probe molecules represent the individual functional groups of a model lung surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidyl choline (DPPC) deposited on a respirable silica and kaolin from water solution. (13)C and (31)P solid-state NMR spectroscopies were employed to detect chemical shift, line width, and chemical shift anisotropy, providing experimental evidence of mobility and relaxation changes describing the site and orientation of surface-associated species. NMR results confirm that only the phosphate and adjacent carbons are immobilized by surface hydroxyls on kaolin, while these and the carbons of the cationic head group are likewise immobilized by surface silanols on Miu-U-Sil 5. The phosphates in phosphoryl- and phosphatidyl-cholines were the primary interaction sites, with additional weak coordination with the trimethylammonium cation species. Covalent Al-O-P formation is not likely a factor in in vivo or in vitro toxicity mechanisms of respirable silicon-containing materials, but is rather the result of dehydration or demethoxylation reactions occurring over time or during heating or reduced pressure used in preparing materials for NMR spectroscopic study. Hydration is a critical factor in the formation and preparation for spectroscopic observation of coated dusts. Care must be taken to ensure that products formed and studied correspond to species formed in vivo under suitable concentration and hydration conditions.

Unusual retention behaviour of 4-substituted piperidines on polybutadiene and polystyrene coated zirconia by comparison to reverse phase silica

The retention properties of a range of N-methylated and N-des-methyl 4-substituted piperidines on polybutadiene (PBD) and polystyrene (PS) coated zirconia have been studied and compared to those of Xterra RP(18) and Genesis C(18) silica. The effect of buffer type and pH are investigated with regard to the elution order on all three stationary phases. The change in the elution order is linked to the degree of substitution of the piperidine nitrogen and appears to be independent of the rest of the structure, indicating that this moiety is most heavily involved in the separation mechanism on the zirconia phases.

Diffusivities of Tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium inside Silica-Nanochannels Modified with Alkylsilanes

The apparent diffusion coefficients of tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium ([Ru(bpy(3))](2+)) are estimated in silica-nanochannels which are assembled inside columnar alumina pores in an anodic alumina membrane, and are modified with alkylsilanes such as trimethylchlorosilane (C1), butyldimethylchlorosilane (C4), and dodecyldimethylchlorosilane (C12). The estimation is performed by observing the lag-time, which is defined as the time required for [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) to diffuse through alkylsilane-modified silica-nanochannels in the alumina membrane. When ethanol is used as a solvent, the apparent diffusion coefficients of [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) are estimated as 2.1 x 10(-10) and 3.2 x 10(-10) cm(2) s(-1) in the C1- and C4-modified silica-nanochannels, respectively. These values are about 10(4) times smaller than that obtained in bulk ethanol. Based on the experimental results on the solvent dependency of the lag-time, the hydrogen-bonding interaction between ethanol molecules is considered to be stronger in the C1- and C4-modified silica-nanochannels than in bulk ethanol, and the hydrogen-bonding interaction plays a critical role for the slow diffusivity in those nanochannels. In contrast, the apparent diffusion coefficient in the C12-modified silica-nanochannel is at least two orders of magnitude larger than those in the C1- and C4-modified silica-nanochannels. This relatively fast diffusion is most likely explained by the presence of a long alkyl chain of C12, which reduces a hindrance effect that is originates in the hydrogen-bonding interaction.

Adsorption of Duplex DNA on Mesoporous Silicas: Possibility of Inclusion of DNA into Their Mesopores

It is well known that a silica surface cannot adsorb duplex DNA in common aqueous solution (not chaotropic solution) because of the electrostatic repulsion of the silica surface and polyanionic DNA. However, we recently found that when duplex DNA in phosphoric acid form (or in acidic solution) was used, DNA was successfully adsorbed into mesoporous silicas even in low-salt aqueous solution. The adsorption behaviors of DNA into mesoporous silicas were influenced by the pore diameter sizes. Mesoporous silicas with 2.80- or 3.82-nm peak pore diameters adsorbed DNA the best in diluted NaCl solution. Formation of the hydrogen bond between P(O)OH groups in DNA and adsorbed water, SiOH groups, or both on silica surfaces is regarded as a main factor in this adsorption. The coincidence of the pore sizes and DNA diameter realizes this unique adsorption promoted by the effect of encompassing DNA with the inner surface of mesoporous silica. Although there is no clear direct evidence for including duplex DNA in the mesopores yet, this adsorption technique is expected to provide a new tool for DNA science, because DNA in the pore size 2-5 nm in diameter has to be in unusual disentangled thread form.