New approaches through grafting initiators onto the surface of inner-wall of mesoporous silica to synthesize polymer inside the nano-channels to obtain mesoporous silica/polymer nanocomposites were developed and investigated. Using the newly developed approach, PMMA was successfully synthesized through free radical polymerization and nylon 6 though in situ anionic ring-opening polymerization inside the nano-channels. The spherical mesoporous silica/PMMA composites we obtained showed a higher degradation temperature and narrower degradation range than pure commercially available PMMA. Spherical PMMA capsules were obtained after the silica network was dissolved with hydrofluoric acid, these pure PMMA spheres had the same thermal properties and morphology as they had with in the composites. The BMS/nylon 6 nanocomposites were spheres with the same diameter as pure BMS. About 50 wt% of the composites was newly synthesized nylon 6. The synthesized nylon 6 was proven to contain both α-form crystallite and γ-form crystallites with covalent bonds with the surface of silica inside the nano-channels.

The use of novel hyperbranched aminosilica (HAS) materials created through the ring-opening polymerization of aziridine from mesoporous silica supports was proposed for the adsorption of CO2 from dilute sources. The limits of the adsorptive performance of these adsorbents were investigated via the preparation of sets of materials with a range of aminopolymer loadings on several different silica supports with different pore space characteristics. Relationships were determined between the materials' amine loadings and the CO2 adsorption performance. Adsorbents with substantial remaining pore volume displayed universal adsorption kinetics when normalized by amine loading. However, materials with blocked pores displayed substantially slower adsorption kinetics due to hindered mass transfer. In both humid and dry conditions, the HAS adsorbent was found to have a surprisingly large CO2 capacity in light of the 250-fold reduction in CO2 partial pressure from 10% CO2 (flue gas application) to 400 ppm CO2 (air capture application). Finally, a new series of linear aminosilicas was created through the reaction of existing aminosilicas with N-protected-aziridines. Specifically, reaction of aminosilane-functionalized silicas with N-methylaziridine resulted in the linear growth of methylaminoethyl groups, effectively increasing the amine loading of the adsorbent by a stoichiometric amount of an additional amine per attached silane.

Membrane materials for gas separations span a wide range including polymers, metals, ceramics and composites. Our aim is to create economical hydrothermally stable membranes that can provide high H₂-CO₂ separation at a temperature of 300 degree Celsius, for application in the water-gas shift reactor process. The present work describes the development of novel silica and silica-titania membranes from the controlled oxidative thermolysis of polydimethylsiloxane. The scope of this thesis is fabrication of membranes, material characterization and preliminary gas permeation tests (35-80 degree Celsius) on PDMS derived silica membrane films. The developed membranes can withstand up to 350 degree C in air. High permeabilties of small gas penetrants like He, H₂ and CO₂ have been observed and fairly high separation factors of O₂/N₂=3, H₂/N₂= 14 and H₂/CH₄=11 have been obtained. As the temperature of operation increases, the permeability of hydrogen increases and the separation factor of H₂ from CO₂ increases. The silica membranes exhibit gas separation factors higher than the respective Knudsen values. Additionally, design and construction of a new high temperature gas permeation testing system is described, which will cater to gas permeation tests at temperatures up to 300 degree Celsius for future work. The thesis also includes a detailed plan for future studies on this topic of research.

A range of mesoporous materials based on SBA-15, KIT-6 and FDU-12 have been prepared using neutral block copolymers Pluronic P123 and F127 and characterised using methods including electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption. Typically the materials have a hexagonal (p6mm) or cubic (Fm3m and Ia-3d) symmetry and pore geometry and are rendered porous by either calcination or solvent extraction. Organic functional groups were incorporated into the silica walls of the materials by co-condensation in the form of propyl thiols and additives in the form of alkanes were added to control pore size and geometry. The effects of temperature, additives, organic functionalisation, synthesis time and sol-gel composition were investigated and the resulting materials were tested as supports for protein adsorption, enzyme immobilisation, and drug delivery. Two FDU-12 materials of differing entrance and cavity sizes were used to adsorb a range of proteins with molecular weight 17 to 160 kDa to determine if there was a size exclusion effect. It was seen that the larger pore material was able to adsorb proteins of a larger size (molecular weight 105 kDa) and an exclusion effect was observed when the dimension of the proteins became too great (larger than 130 kDa). There was no clear trend for the smaller pore material where each protein was adsorbed to some extent by the material but apart from the smallest protein, myoglobin, mainly on the surface and not within the pores. The adsorption of the lipase B from Candida Antartica, CALB, was studied on a range of mesoporous supports with their templates removed by either calcination or extraction. The effect of pore size and functionalisation was investigated in terms of maximum loading and rate of loading. By functionalising the KIT-6 material the maximum loading of CALB was reduced from 45.5 to 32 mg/g whereas functionalising the FDU-12 material increased the maximum from 33 to 42.5 mg/g. The activity of the immobilised CALB was measured by enantioselective transesterification of (R)-1-phenylethanol in methyltetrabutyl ether (MTBE). The effect of loading, surface functionalisation and reusability in organic media were investigated. Functionalisation with propyl thiol was seen to increase the rate of conversion after 30 minutes for both KIT-6 and FDU-12 materials. Selected FDU-12 and KIT-6 materials with window sizes from 6 to 12 nm and with and without functionalisation were used to carry out a drug release study using Bovine serum albumin (BSA). BSA was loaded onto the material and the uptake quantified using nitrogen adsorption, elemental analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The release of BSA into simulated body fluid at 37 ºC was measured using HPLC. Functionalisation was seen to have little effect. The type of cubic morphology controlled the rate at which the BSA was released. The KIT-6 3D channel material exhibited a burst release initially followed by a steady release of BSA whereas the mesocage FDU-12 material had a slower and more linear release profile, closer to that desired.

Mesoporous silicates are excellent materials for supported catalysis due to their ease of functionalization, tunable pore size and high surface areas. Mesoporous silicates have been utilized in a variety of applications such as drug delivery scaffolds and catalyst supports. Functionalization of the surface can be achieved by either grafting of alkoxy silanes or co-condensation of the organosilane with the inorganic silica source. My research in this area can be divided into two components. In the first, we address the significant issue of metal contamination after reactions that are catalyzed by transition metals. In the second, we examine the design of new catalysts based on organic/inorganic composites. Ruthenium catalyzed processes such as olefin metathesis or asymmetric hydrogenation, are often underutilized due to the difficulty of removing the ruthenium by-products. Attempts to remove ruthenium involve treating the solution with a scavenging reagent followed by silica chromatography. Often these scavenging agents are expensive phosphines or toxic agents like lead tetra-acetate. SBA-15 functionalized with aminopropyl triethoxysilane displays a high affinity for ruthenium. Furthermore, it can be utilized to remove ruthenium by-products from olefin metathesis or hydrogenation reactions without the need for silica chromatography. We have also prepared sulfur-functionalized mesoporous silicates that have a high affinity for palladium. The materials after loading prove to be active catalysts for a variety of palladium catalyzed processes such as Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira couplings. The catalysts are recyclable with moderate loss of activity and structure, depending on the method of incorporation of the thiol. We have characterized the as-synthesized and used catalysts by nitrogen sorption, TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and a variety of homogeneity tests were performed on the catalysts. Periodic mesoporous organosilicates (PMOs) are a well known class of inorganic-organic hybrid materials. The majority of PMOs prepared utilize simple organic bridges such as ethyl, phenyl or biphenyl. The use of a chiral organic bridging group, such as BINAP, allows the synthesis of chiral PMOs with possible applications in catalysis and separation science. The synthesis of a triethoxysilyl functionalized BINAP as well as its incorporation into PMO materials with 4,4’-bistriethoxysilyl biphenyl or tetraethylorthosilicate as co-silica sources are described. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemistry) -- Queen's University, 2009-04-20 10:49:13.443

<p>Laboratory tests on microscale are reported in which amorphous silica grains were compressed in a liquid environment, namely in solutions with different silica ion concentrations for up to four weeks. Such an arrangement represents an idealized representation of two sand grains. The grain surfaces and asperities were examined in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) for fractures, silica polymer growth, and polymer strength. Single chains of silica polymers are found to have a failure pulling force of 330 - 450 nN. </p><p>A chain of observations are reported for the first time, using Pneumatic Grain Indenter and Grain Indenter-Puller apparatuses, confirming a long-existing hypothesis that a stressed contact with microcracks generates dissolved silica in the contact (asperity) vicinity, which eventually polymerizes, forming a structure between the grains on a timescale in the order of weeks. Such structure exhibits intergranular tensile force of 1 - 1.5 mN when aged in solutions containing silica ion concentrations of 200- to 500 ppm. Stress appears to accelerate the generation of silica polymers around stressed contact regions, so does mica-silica contacts. The magnitude of intergranular tensile force is 2 to 3 times greater than that of water capillary effect between grains.</p> / Dissertation

Most common inorganic foulants in RO processes operating on brackish water are calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate and silica. However, silica fouling is the recovery limiting factor in RO system. Silica chemistry is complex and its degree of fouling strongly depends on the silica solubility and its polymerization under different operating conditions of RO process. In several studies carried out in batch and dynamic tests, the presence of polyvalent cations and supersaturation of silica in solutions were found to be the important factors (apart from pH and temperature) that affected the rate of silica polymerization and its induction period. Agitation did increased silica solubility; however, its effect was negligible in presence of polyvalent cations. Alkalization of water solution by coagulants particularly sodium hydroxide was found suitable for silica removal during pretreatment. The presence of magnesium in solution played a key role in silica removal mostly by the mechanism of adsorption to the metal hydroxide. The options of inline mixing (high agitation) for 5 to 10 minutes and microfiltration before RO were found suitable for silica pretreatment. During dynamic tests, the most dominant mechanism for salt deposition (mostly CaSO4) was particulate type in high concentration water solution; while crystallization fouling was the prevailing mechanism of deposition (mostly CaCO3 and silica) in low concentration solution. Silica showed significant effect on size and shape of inorganic salt crystals during coprecipitation. Moreover, the presence of common antiscalants promoted silica fouling. This important finding recommends an extra caution while using antiscalants in case feed water contains silica to a level that can attain saturation near membrane during RO process. A model was developed to predict the silica fouling index (SFI) based on the experimental data for induction period of silica polymerization. The model takes into account the effect of polyvalent cations and concentration polarization near membrane during RO process. It provides a conservative basis for predicting the maximum silica deposition in RO process at the normal operating conditions. A generalised correlation, which was developed for determination of the mass transfer coefficient in RO process, incorporated the effect of temperature change that is usually not considered in previous correlations. A correlation for reduction of silica content in feed water, down to a safe limit of 15 ppm for RO process, was also formulated and validated by the experimental results.

Orientador: Dimas Roberto Vollet / Banca: Antonio Tallarico Vicente Adorno / Banca: Fábio Simões de Vicente / Resumo: O presente trabalho estuda as características estruturais de géis de sílica preparados a partir da sonohidrólise do Tetraetilortosilicato (TEOS) em função de diferentes quantidades de álcool isopropílico (IPA), denominado conjunto de amostras A, e em função de diferentes quantidades de dimetilformamida (DMF), denominado conjunto de amostras B. Os géis são estudados desde o estágio saturado (gel úmido) até o estágio do gel seco (aerogel e xerogel) resultante da secagem a pressão ambiente. As caracterizações estruturais das amostras são realizadas através das técnicas de Termogravimetria (TG), densidade aparente, análise de distribuição de tamanho de poros e área superficial por adsorção de nitrogênio, e espalhamento de raios X a baixo ângulo (SAXS). A sonohidrólise foi realizada a partir de volumes constantes das misturas reagentes, mantendo-se a mesma razão molar água/TEOS para as diferentes adições de IPA do conjunto A e também a mesma razão molar água/TEOS para as diferentes adições de DMF do conjunto B. Géis úmidos produzidos a partir da estimulação ultrassônica do TEOS com aumento da quantidade de IPA (conjunto A) exibem uma estrutura de fractal de massa com dimensão fractal D em torno de 2,0 e com tamanho característico  do fractal de massa crescendo de 4,1 nm para 5,1 nm, quando a razão molar [IPA]/[TEOS] cresce de 0 para 10,8. Os géis do conjunto B exibem uma estrutura fractal de massa com dimensão fractal D em torno de 2,2 e com  decrescendo de 9,2 nm para 7,8 nm quando a razão molar R = [DMF]/[TEOS] cresce de 0 para 4. Aerogéis foram obtidos após lavagem dos géis úmidos de ambos os conjuntos com IPA, para remoção de resíduos provenientes da sonohidrólise, e depois imersos em solução de trimetilclorosilano (TMCS) em álcool isopropílico, para modificação... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present work studies the structural characteristics of silica gels prepared from the sonohydrolysis of tetraetoxisilane (TEOS) as a function of different amounts of isopropyl alcohol (IPA), which will be called the set of samples A, and for different amounts of dimethylformamide (DMF) , which will be called set of samples B. The gels are studied from the saturated stage (wet gel) until the stage of dry gel (xerogel and aerogel) that results from a drying process at ambient pressure. The samples are characterized by Termogravimetry (TG), apparent density, surface area and pores size distribution by nitrogen adsorption, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The sonohydrolysis was carried out from reagent mixtures with constant volumes, keeping the same water/TEOS molar ratio for different additions of IPA in the set A and also the same water/TEOS molar ratio for different additions of DMF in the set B. Wet gels produced from the ultrasonic stimulation of TEOS with increasing the quantity of IPA (set A) exhibit a structure of fractal mass with fractal dimension D around 2.0 and with characteristic size  growing from 4.1 nm to 5.1 nm, when the [IPA]/[TEOS] molar ratio increases from 0 to 10,8. The gels of the set B exhibit a structure of fractal mass with fractal dimension D around 2.2 and with  decreasing from 9.2 nm to 7.8 nm when increasing the molar ratio R =[DMF]/[TEOS] from 0 to 4. Aerogels were obtained after washing the wet gels from both sets with IPA, to remove wastes from the sonohydrolysis, and then immersing them in a solution of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) in isopropyl alcohol, for the silica surface modification (silylation), and finally in pure isopropyl alcohol. The drying process narrows the range of characteristic lengths  of the original structure of fractal mass of the wet gels, however, it does not change... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:25:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-02-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:53:31Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 chiappimjunior_w_me_rcla.pdf: 2018594 bytes, checksum: 4a7af8ef2e50d39549f7707e111c9d33 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O presente trabalho estuda as características estruturais de géis de sílica preparados a partir da sonohidrólise do Tetraetilortosilicato (TEOS) em função de diferentes quantidades de álcool isopropílico (IPA), denominado conjunto de amostras A, e em função de diferentes quantidades de dimetilformamida (DMF), denominado conjunto de amostras B. Os géis são estudados desde o estágio saturado (gel úmido) até o estágio do gel seco (aerogel e xerogel) resultante da secagem a pressão ambiente. As caracterizações estruturais das amostras são realizadas através das técnicas de Termogravimetria (TG), densidade aparente, análise de distribuição de tamanho de poros e área superficial por adsorção de nitrogênio, e espalhamento de raios X a baixo ângulo (SAXS). A sonohidrólise foi realizada a partir de volumes constantes das misturas reagentes, mantendo-se a mesma razão molar água/TEOS para as diferentes adições de IPA do conjunto A e também a mesma razão molar água/TEOS para as diferentes adições de DMF do conjunto B. Géis úmidos produzidos a partir da estimulação ultrassônica do TEOS com aumento da quantidade de IPA (conjunto A) exibem uma estrutura de fractal de massa com dimensão fractal D em torno de 2,0 e com tamanho característico  do fractal de massa crescendo de 4,1 nm para 5,1 nm, quando a razão molar [IPA]/[TEOS] cresce de 0 para 10,8. Os géis do conjunto B exibem uma estrutura fractal de massa com dimensão fractal D em torno de 2,2 e com  decrescendo de 9,2 nm para 7,8 nm quando a razão molar R = [DMF]/[TEOS] cresce de 0 para 4. Aerogéis foram obtidos após lavagem dos géis úmidos de ambos os conjuntos com IPA, para remoção de resíduos provenientes da sonohidrólise, e depois imersos em solução de trimetilclorosilano (TMCS) em álcool isopropílico, para modificação... / The present work studies the structural characteristics of silica gels prepared from the sonohydrolysis of tetraetoxisilane (TEOS) as a function of different amounts of isopropyl alcohol (IPA), which will be called the set of samples A, and for different amounts of dimethylformamide (DMF) , which will be called set of samples B. The gels are studied from the saturated stage (wet gel) until the stage of dry gel (xerogel and aerogel) that results from a drying process at ambient pressure. The samples are characterized by Termogravimetry (TG), apparent density, surface area and pores size distribution by nitrogen adsorption, and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The sonohydrolysis was carried out from reagent mixtures with constant volumes, keeping the same water/TEOS molar ratio for different additions of IPA in the set A and also the same water/TEOS molar ratio for different additions of DMF in the set B. Wet gels produced from the ultrasonic stimulation of TEOS with increasing the quantity of IPA (set A) exhibit a structure of fractal mass with fractal dimension D around 2.0 and with characteristic size  growing from 4.1 nm to 5.1 nm, when the [IPA]/[TEOS] molar ratio increases from 0 to 10,8. The gels of the set B exhibit a structure of fractal mass with fractal dimension D around 2.2 and with  decreasing from 9.2 nm to 7.8 nm when increasing the molar ratio R =[DMF]/[TEOS] from 0 to 4. Aerogels were obtained after washing the wet gels from both sets with IPA, to remove wastes from the sonohydrolysis, and then immersing them in a solution of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) in isopropyl alcohol, for the silica surface modification (silylation), and finally in pure isopropyl alcohol. The drying process narrows the range of characteristic lengths  of the original structure of fractal mass of the wet gels, however, it does not change... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Esta tese apresenta a obtenção de sílica xerogel a partir de carvão de cascas de arroz e a modificação da sua superfície com um ligante orgânico tipo base de Schiff. O objetivo da utilização deste resíduo agroindustrial é a obtenção de um adsorvente capaz de atuar no tratamento de águas contaminadas contendo íons cádmio II, em uma concepção de valorização de resíduos. A sílica contida na biomassa foi obtida na forma de silicato de sódio através de extração química com solução de hidróxido de sódio, seguida de hidrólise e condensação do monômero através do processo solgel. A modificação da superfície da sílica com o ligante salen foi realizada utilizando o 1,2-dicloroetano como espaçador bifuncional. A sílica xerogel modificada foi avaliada através de análises de isotermas de adsorção e dessorção de nitrogênio (BET/BJH), difração de raios-X (DRX), análise química elementar (CHN), espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (FTIR), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e termogravimetria (TG/DTG). A análise elementar indicou que 0,341 mmol/g de 1,2-dicloroetano e 0,095 mmol/g de salen foi ancorado na superfície da sílica, que apresentou estabilidade térmica até 209°C e área de superfície específica de 106,4 m²/g. Foi realizado um estudo sobre a capacidade de adsorção de íons cádmio (II) pela sílica modificada e não modificada. Os resultados indicam a superior capacidade de adsorção de cádmio pela sílica modificada, em soluções com baixa concentração do íon. / This thesis presents the obtainment of silica xerogel by rice husk charcoal and its surface modification using an organic ligand type Schiff-base. The purpose of this agro-industrial residue utilization is the production of an adsorbent capable to remove heavy metals present in contaminated waters. The silica contained in the biomass was obtained by alkaline extraction in sodium silicate with hydrolysis through sol-gel process, and modified with salen, using 1,2-dichloroethane as bi-functional spacer. The modified xerogel silica was evaluated through analysis of nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms (BET/BJH), X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical elementary analysis (CHN), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG/DTG). The elementary analysis pointed that 0,341mmol/g of the 1,2-dichloroethane and 0,095mmol/g of the salen was anchored to the silica surface, that presented thermal stability until 209°C and specific surface area of 106,4 m²/g. An evaluation about the ion cadmium II adsorption capacity of the silica modified and unmodified was performed. The results pointed to the superior cadmium adsorption capacity for the modified silica if low ion concentration solutions.