Silica Phase (silica + phase)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Water-resistant conducting hybrids from electrostatic interactions

JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE (IN TWO SECTIONS), Issue 8 2007
Jing Luo
Abstract Conductive hybrids were prepared in a water/ethanol solution via the sol,gel process from an inorganic sol containing carboxyl groups and water-borne conductive polyaniline (cPANI). The inorganic sol was prepared by the hydrolysis and condensation of methyltriethoxysilane with the condensed product of maleic anhydride and aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a catalyst, for which the carboxyl counterion along the cPANI backbone acted as an electrostatic-interaction moiety. The existence of this electrostatic interaction could improve the compatibility of the two components and contribute to the homogeneous dispersion of cPANI in the silica phase. The electrostatic-interaction hybrids displayed a conductivity percolation threshold as low as 1.1 wt % polyaniline in an emeraldine base, showing 2 orders of magnitude higher electrical conductivity than that without electrostatic interactions. The electrostatic-interaction hybrids also showed good water resistance; the electrical conductivity with a cPANI loading of 16 wt % underwent a slight change after 14 days of soaking in water. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1424,1431, 2007 [source]


Permeability and Conductivity Studies on Ionomer-Polysilsesquioxane Hybrid Materials

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 3 2006
Chedarampet S. Karthikeyan
Abstract Summary: Hybrid materials based on sulphonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK, ionomer) and (RSiO1.5)n network (polysilsequioxane) were prepared by sol-gel process. Two different precursors namely aminopropyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) and imidazoleglycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (IGPTMS) were utilized to generate (RSiO1.5)n in SPEEK matrix by sol-gel process. 29Si MAS NMR confirmed the formation of RSiO3/2 network structure inside the matrix. Characterisation of the hybrid materials showed lower methanol and water permeability compared to the plain SPEEK. They are therefore promising materials as membranes for direct methanol fuel cells applications. The hybrid material derived from amino group was more effective in decreasing the permeability than the material derived from imidazole group. However, the proton conductivity of the latter was higher than the material derived from amino group. The results indicate that hybrid material prepared from imidazole containing silane is more suitable as a membrane for direct methanol fuel cell than the one prepared from amino carrying silane because it fulfils the two main requirements, namely low methanol permeability and reasonably good proton conductivity. Figure shows a network of silica phase in SPEEK matrix. [source]


Thermo-Responsive Organic/Inorganic Hybrid Hydrogels based on Poly(N -vinylcaprolactam)

MACROMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS, Issue 1 2003
Wouter Loos
Abstract A new type of ,intelligent' hydrogels has been developed in the form of organic/inorganic hybrid materials by making use of the sol-gel technology. Poly(N -vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) has been incorporated in these materials for its thermo-responsive properties. The synthesis of the hybrid hydrogels was achieved by the in situ formation of an inorganic silica phase in the presence of an aqueous solution of high molecular weight PVCL. This methodology results in the preparation of micro-heterogeneous systems in which silica particles of nanometer dimensions act as physical cross-links for the PVCL molecules. Hydrogen bonds between the remaining non-condensed silanol groups and the PVCL carbonyl functions, together with physical entanglements, are responsible for the strong interactions between the organic and inorganic phases. Stress-strain tests on highly swollen materials demonstrated that the unique structure of these thermo-responsive hybrid hydrogels improves the mechanical stability to a great extent as compared to conventional hydrogels. Transmission measurements demonstrate that the presence of the inorganic phase does not influence the cloud point temperatures of PVCL significantly. On the other hand, the response of the reinforced hybrid hydrogels to temperature becomes less pronounced for increasing silica fractions. The reversibility of the swelling/deswelling process has been demonstrated by swelling experiments as a function of temperature. PVCL/SiO2 hybrid hydrogels. [source]


Hydrophilic interaction LC of peptides: Columns comparison and clustering

JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 6-7 2010
Sylvia Van Dorpe
Abstract A wide variety of hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) stationary phase surface chemistries are currently available. Although their selectivity can be considerably different, column comparison or clustering using peptides is limited. In this study, ten pharmaceutically relevant model peptides are analyzed on seven different HILIC columns (bare silica, amide, poly-hydroxyethyl aspartamide, diol and zwitterionic) for the evaluation of their performance and classification. The responses examined include single and multiple responses: plate number, asymmetry factor, LOD, geometric mean resolution, resolution product, time corrected resolution product, peak capacity and chromatographic response function. Column classification was performed using hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis. Moreover, the overall performance quality of the HILIC columns was compared using a linear desirability function. Hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis showed consistent clusters. The zwitterionic phase was clustered apart from the other HILIC columns and both poly-aspartamide columns were clustered together. In addition, the two bare silica phases represent two different clusters, and thus different selectivities. Overall, the responses showed the best performance for one of the bare silica columns (Alltima-Alltech), followed by the zwitterionic phase (ZIC)-HILIC. Thus, these columns, belonging to different clusters, were found to be the best performing systems in pharmaceutical peptide analysis for the selected peptide set. [source]


Structure and Mechanical Properties of Polyurethane/Silica Hybrid Coatings

MACROMOLECULAR MATERIALS & ENGINEERING, Issue 10 2005
Yongchun Chen
Abstract Summary: Polyurethane/silica hybrid coatings were prepared via in situ (IS) or blending (BL) method using different acidic silica sols. The effects of preparation methods, silica types, and content on the structure and mechanical properties of the hybrid coatings were investigated. It was found that there existed two types of silica phases in the hybrid coatings: silica-rich agglomerate and primary silica-rich phase, whose size and compactness depended upon the silica types and the preparation methods. Introducing silica could result in obvious changes in surface free energy, atomic composition, and mechanical properties of the hybrid coatings. Typical SEM image of the fractured surface of hybrids obtained by the in situ method. [source]