Hydrolysis and condensation rates of tetramethyl orthosilicate in alcohol solutions of hydrated metal salts as determined by means of FT-IR spectroscopy

In situ Formation of a Monodispersed Spherical Mesoporous Nanosilica-Torlon Hollow-Fiber Composite for Carbon Dioxide Capture

We describe a new template-free method for the in situ formation of a monodispersed spherical mesoporous nanosilica-Torlon hollow-fiber composite. A thin layer of Torlon hollow fiber that comprises silica nanoparticles was created by the in situ extrusion of a tetraethyl orthosilicate/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone solution in a sheath layer and a Torlon polymer dope in a core support layer. This new method can be integrated easily into current hollow-fiber composite fabrication processes. The hollow-fiber composites were then functionalized with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane (APS) and evaluated for their CO2 -capture performance. The resulting APS-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles/Torlon hollow fibers exhibited a high CO2 equilibrium capacity of 1.5 and 1.9 mmol g(-1) at 35 and 60 °C, respectively, which is significantly higher than values for fiber sorbents without nanoparticles reported previously.

Synthesis, functionalisation and characterisation of mesoporous materials and sol-gel glasses for applications in catalysis, adsorption and photonics

In this review, synthesis and functionalisation approaches for ordered mesoporous materials and sol-gel glasses are described. Catalytic and adsorption applications are emphasised for the ordered mesoporous materials, while optical applications are the focus for sol-gel glasses.