Fabrication of superparamagnetic hydroxyapatite with highly ordered three-dimensional pores

Hydroxyapatite (HA) with highly ordered three-dimensional pores, whose size is about 300 nm, was prepared by colloidal template method. The effect of the surface modification of silica spheres on the order degree of porous structure was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Then, superparamagnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were fabricated via redox reaction, followed by coating with silica via a sol–gel process, in which a certain amount of TEOS was used in order to control the thickness of the silica shell. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and magnetometry were applied to characterize the properties. Finally, Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles coated with silica were adsorbed in the mesopores of HA with highly ordered three-dimensional pores by capillarity. The influence of dispersing agent on the adsorption results has been studied. Magnetometry was applied to characterize the magnetic properties of superparamagnetic HA. The quantities of adsorbed SiO₂/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles with core–shell have been compared by variation of saturation magnetization before and after adsorption.     

Influence of Silicification on the Structural and Biological Properties of Buffer‐Mediated Collagen Hydrogels

A buffer‐mediated gelation route for collagen hydrogels that allows the formation of homogeneous composite and hybrid materials with various silica sources (i.e., colloidal silica and soluble silicates) at high concentration (up to 25 × 10^?3 M ) is described. Most significant improvement in rheological properties and proliferation of primary adult human dermal fibroblasts was obtained for the silicate‐based hybrid materials. A similar trend was observed in composite materials incorporating 14 nm SiO₂ nanoparticles, although to a much lesser extent, whereas larger colloids (80 and 390 nm) did not significantly impact mechanical stability and cell behavior. Modification of 80 nm particles surface with amine groups weakens the collagen‐mineral interface, resulting in the decrease of material stability and leading to particle aggregation during the course of cell proliferation experiments.     

Synthesis of soluble polyimide/silica–titania core–shell nanoparticle hybrid thin films for anti-reflective coatings

In this study, researchers prepared polyimide/silica–titania core–shell nanoparticle hybrid thin films (PI/SiO₂–TiO₂) from soluble fluorine-containing polyimide, colloidal silica, and titanium butoxide. The soluble polyimide with carboxylic acid end groups (6FDA–6FpDA–4ABA–COOH) could condense with titanium butoxide to provide organic–inorganic bonding, and thus prevent macrophase separation. TGA and DSC analysis showed that the decomposition temperature of hybrid materials increased with an increase in the content of silica–titania nanoparticles within the hybrid films. FTIR spectra indicated that the imidization was complete and the cross-linking Ti–O–Ti network formed. HRTEM and HRSEM images showed that the size of the core–shell nanoparticles were 18–20 nm. The thickness of titania shell on the silica is about 2.5 nm. The n&k and UV–Vis analysis showed that the prepared hybrid films had good optical properties and a high refractive index of 1.735. Researchers applied the prepared PI/SiO₂–TiO₂ hybrid thin films to develop a three layer antireflective (AR) coating on the glass and PMMA substrate. Results showed that the reflectance of the AR coating on the glass and PMMA substrate at 550 nm was 0.356 and 0.495%, respectively. The transparency was greater than 90% for both AR coatings on the glass and PMMA substrates.     

Fabrication of nanocomposite particles with superparamagnetic and luminescent functionalities

A new kind of superparamagnetic luminescent nanocomposite particles has been synthesized using a modified Stöber method combined with an electrostatic assembly process. Fe₃O₄ superparamagnetic nanoparticles were coated with uniform silica shell, and then 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane was used to terminate the silica surface with amino groups. Finally, negatively charged CdSe quantum dots (QDs) were assembled onto the surface of the amino-terminated SiO₂/Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles through electrostatic interactions. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), microelectrophoresis, UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopy and magnetometry were applied to characterize the nanocomposite particles. Dense CdSe QDs were immobilized on the silica surface. The thickness of silica shell was about 35 nm and the particle size of the final products was about 100 nm. The particles exhibited favorable superparamagnetic and photoluminescent properties.     

Optical and magnetic properties of elliptical hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles coated with uniform continuous layers of silica of different thickness

Elliptical-type α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with/without silica shell have been prepared. The core particles were coated with uniform continuous layers of silica of two different thicknesses by hydrolysis of TEOS. The obtained HCP structure elliptical α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with ∼ 240 nm length and 100 nm width is polycrystalline in nature. The thicknesses of SiO₂ shell coated on α-Fe₂O₃ are about 55 and 30 nm, respectively. The optical and magnetic properties of these nanoparticles have been investigated.     

Structural verification and optical characterization of SiO2–Au–Cu2O nanoparticles

In this paper, SiO₂–Au–Cu₂O core/shell/shell nanoparticles were synthesized by reducing gold chloride on 3-amino-propyl-triethoxysilane molecules attached silica nanoparticle cores for several stages. Cu₂O nanoparticles were synthesized readily with the size of 4–5 nm using a simple route of sol–gel method Then, they were clung to the surface of Au seeds. The morphology of the resultant particles was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate growth of monodispersed gold seeds and Cu₂O nanoparticles in narrow size up to 10 nm and 5 nm, respectively. The presence of gold and Cu₂O coating was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Absorption spectroscopy shows considerably 40 nm blue shift in absorption edge for SiO₂–Au–Cu₂O nanostructure rather than SiO₂–Au core/shell nanoparticles.     

Structural and spectral investigations of Rhodamine (Rh6G) dye-silica core-shell nanoparticles

Rhodamine (Rh6G) dye-silica core-shell nanoparticles (DSCSNPs) have been prepared by the controlled hydrolysis and condensation of single silica precursor tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) using the sol-gel method. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis reveal that dye molecules are entrapped in silica (SiO₂) shell resulting into core-shell particles of ∼30 nm diameter. These particles are also characterized by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy. The results indicate that core-shell particles are all in spherical shape and have a narrow size distribution. The fluorescent and optical properties of core-shell particles have been investigated using fluorescence and UV-Visible absorption spectra. The photoluminescence in solid or liquid medium occurs at the same wavelength. The SiO₂ shell restricts the leakage and photobleaching of dye efficiently. These core-shell nanoparticles are found to be highly luminescent and stable.     

废印刷电路板非金属粉负载二氧化硅杂化填料的制备及其在不饱和聚酯中的应用

为增强废印刷电路板非金属粉(WPCBP)与聚合物基体之间的界面结合作用,采用溶胶-凝胶法在WPCBP表面原位负载了一层纳米二氧化硅粒子(SiO_2),制备了一种新型的WPCBP-SiO_2杂化填料。SEM、TGA和FTIR证明SiO_2通过化学键成功负载到了杂化填料的表面。采用含双键的界面改性剂对杂化填料进行改性后,应用于不饱和聚酯树脂基体,探讨了未改性杂化填料及表面改性杂化填料对不饱和聚酯复合材料的力学性能、界面结合作用和热稳定性能的影响。结果表明,新型的杂化填料WPCBP-SiO_2能够与不饱和聚酯基体形成强的界面结合作用,显著提高不饱和聚酯复合材料的力学性能和热稳定性能,且表面改性后复合材料的各项性能得到进一步提高。     

Mechanical behaviour and microstructural characterization of 3D four‐directional braided SiO2f/SiO2 composites

In this paper, SiO_2f/SiO₂ composites reinforced by 3D four‐directional braided quartz preform were prepared by the silica sol‐infiltration‐sintering method in a relatively low sintering temperature (450 °C). To characterize the mechanical properties of the composites, mechanical testing was carried out under various loading conditions, including tensile, flexural and shear loading. The microstructure and the fracture behaviour of the 3D four‐directional braided SiO_2f/SiO₂ composites were studied. The tensile strength, flexural strength and the in‐plane shear strength were 30.8 MPa, 64.0 MPa and 22.0 MPa, respectively. The as‐fabricated composite exhibited highly nonlinear stress–strain behaviour under all the three types of loading. The tensile and flexural fracture mechanisms were fully discussed. The fracture mode of the 3D four‐directional braided SiO_2f/SiO₂ composite in the Iosipescu shear testing was based on a mixed mechanism because of the multi‐directivity of the composite. Owing to low sintered temperature, the fibre/matrix interfacial strength was weak. The SiO_2f/SiO₂ composites showed non‐catastrophic behaviour resulting from extensive fibre pull‐out during the failure process.     

Design of Multifunctional Fluorescent Hybrid Materials Based on SiO2 Materials and Core–Shell Fe3O4@SiO2 Nanoparticles for Metal Ion Sensing

Hybrid fluorescent materials constructed from organic chelating fluorescent probes and inorganic solid supports by covalent interactions are a special type of hybrid sensing platform that has gained much interest in the context of metal ion sensing applications owing to their excellent advantages, recyclability, and solubility/dispersibility in particular, as compared with single organic fluorescent molecules. In recent decades, SiO₂ materials and core–shell Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles have become important inorganic solid materials and have been used as inorganic solid supports to hybridize with organic fluorescent receptors, resulting in multifunctional fluorescent hybrid systems for potential applications in sensing and related research fields. Therefore, recent progress in various fluorescent‐group‐functionalized SiO₂ materials is reviewed, with a focus on mesoporous silica nanoparticles and core–shell Fe₃O₄@SiO₂ nanoparticles, as interesting fluorescent organic–inorganic hybrid materials for sensing applications toward essential and toxic metal ions. Selective examples of other types of silica/silicon materials, such as periodic mesoporous organosilicas, solid SiO₂ nanoparticles, fibrous silica spheres, silica nanowires, silica nanotubes, and silica hollow microspheres, are also mentioned. Finally, relevant perspectives of metal‐ion‐sensing‐oriented silica‐fluorescent probe hybrid materials are provided.     

Synthesis of Pt-immobilized on silica and polystyrene-encapsulated silica and their applications as electrocatalysts in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Nano sized Pt particles were successfully immobilized onto SiO₂ and polystyrene-encapsulated silica core shell (SiO₂@PS). To make the immobilization of Pt onto both silica and polystyrene-encapsulated silica core shell, SiO₂ was first functionalized with -NH₂ using 3-amino propyl trimethoxysilane (APTMS) while for core shell, the negatively charged surface of polystyrene (PS) was changed with positive charge by cationic surfactant such as cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTACl) to make the formation of SiO₂ shell on preformed PS sphere. Transmission electron micrograph (TEM) images shows that Pt nanoparticles immobilized onto SiO₂ and SiO₂@PS were to be 3-4 nm without agglomeraiton. The energy dispersive spectroscope (EDS) shows that Pt contents on both SiO₂ and SiO₂@PS were to be 21.45% and 20.28%, respectively. In case of Pt-SiO₂@PS, it is believed that Pt should have been immobilized onto PS surface and pore within SiO₂ shell as well as SiO₂ surface. The MEA fabricated with Pt-SiO₂@PS shows better cell performance than of Pt-SiO₂.     

Preparation and magnetic characterization of core–shell structure stainless steel/silica nanoparticles

SiO₂-coated martensite stainless steel nanoparticles were prepared using wire electrical explosion technique combined with sol–gel technique, and their structural and magnetic properties were studied. The coating silica on stainless steel nanoparticles was based on the use of silane coupling agent 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (HS-(CH₂)₃Si(OCH₃)₃, MPTS) as a primer to render the stainless steel surface vitreophilic, thus rendering stainless steel surface compatible with silica. The control over the silica coating layer thickness can be achieved by varying the reaction time. For stainless steel nanoparticles, their saturation and remnant magnetizations decreased upon silica coating, and their saturation magnetizations obviously decreased with increasing the thickness of SiO₂ coating layer. These stainless steel/silica core–shell nanoparticles can be utilized as precursors for making property-tunable magnetic nanoparticles, thin films, and multilayered core–shell structure nanocomposites.     

Synthesis method for silica needle-shaped nano-hollow structure

Silica needle-shaped nano-hollow structure with high specific surface area was prepared by a sol-gel approach using needle-shaped calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) nanoparticles as novel template and sodium silicate as the silica source, followed by washing in acidic solution to remove the CaCO₃ sacrificial template. The sample was characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy disperse spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and BET. The results show that regular uniform silica nano-hollow tubes are obtained: the length of the hollow tubes ranges from 200 nm to 300 nm with a inside diameter about 20 nm, the thickness of the tubes is around 10 nm, the specific surface area of the sample is up to 321.4 m²/g, the average pore diameter is 63.83 Å and the total pore volume is 0.5128 cm³/g.     

Comparative study on the optical, surface mechanical and wear resistant properties of transparent coatings filled with pyrogenic and colloidal silica nanoparticles

We applied two kinds of silica nanoparticles, i.e. colloidal and pyrogenic ones, to improve the performance of transparent coatings on polymer substrates. The urethane-acrylate oligomer was mixed with varied concentrations of silica nanoparticles, spin-coated onto polycarbonate substrate and finally cured by ultraviolet rays. The resultant thickness of the coatings can be controlled in the range of 20-30 μm. The transmission electron microscopy revealed that both silica nanoparticles presented different dispersion states, i.e. mono-dispersion for the colloidal nanoparticles and floc-like dispersion for the pyrogenic ones. In comparison with the colloidal nanoparticles filled coatings, the pyrogenic ones exhibited much improved modulus, hardness and wear resistance, but slightly decreased optical properties such as transmittance, haze and gloss. The nanoparticle morphology, amorphous structure, dispersion state and particle-matrix interfacial bonding relating to these properties were discussed in the present study.     

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO/SiO2 core/shell nanocomposites and hollow SiO2 nanostructures

In this paper, we prepared the ZnO nanoparticles by a simple hydrothermal method and fabricated the ZnO/SiO₂ core/shell nanostructures through a sol-gel chemistry process successfully. The hollow SiO₂ nanostructures were obtained by selective removal of the ZnO cores. The structure, morphology and composition of the products were determined by the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the ZnO nanoparticles were sphere-like shape with the average size of 60 nm and belonged to hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. With the coating of SiO₂, the vibration modes of Si-O-Si and Si-OH were found. Furthermore, the measurement results of optical properties showed that spectra of bare ZnO nanoparticles and ZnO/SiO₂ core/shell nanocomposites exhibited similar emission features, including a blue emission peak and an orange emission band.     

Effect of surface modification of nanosilica on crystallization,thermal and mechanical properties of poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Composites were prepared by solution blending ploy(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and nanosilica which modified by different organic modifiers. Infrared analysis showed that the crystalline structure of PVDF was changed by the addition of RNS-A (silica with amino terminated group), while similar crystalline structure as pure PVDF was observed for composites with DNS-0 and DNS-2, unmodified silica and alkyl terminated group silica, respectively. With differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and dynamic mechanic thermal analysis (DMTA) techniques, crystalline structure, thermal, and mechanical properties of the composite films were examined. As the DSC results showed, addition of SiO₂ would lead to the increased cooling crystallization temperature (T _c), implying that SiO₂ nanoparticles could act as nucleating agents, however the degree of crystallinity of PVDF was not elevated significantly. In the complementary modulated DSC curves, multi-melting peaks associated with non-reversing portion were observed and were explained from the viewpoint of melting-recrystallization in the DSC heating scan. In addition, dynamic mechanical properties as well as the thermal stability of the composites are also influenced by SiO₂. As manifested by the corresponding DMTA and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results, a strong interaction should exist between PVDF and SiO₂ nanoparticles.     

Core/shell structured sSiO2/mSiO2 composite particles: The effect of the core size on oxide chemical mechanical polishing

In a typical chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, the type, morphology, structure, mechanical, and surface characteristics of abrasive particles play an important role in influencing the material removal process. The novel abrasive particles with special mechanical and/or tribochemical properties have been introduced into CMP processes for the improvement of surface quality and finishing efficiency. In this work, the composite particles containing solid silica (sSiO₂) cores and mesoporous silica (mSiO₂) shells were prepared via a developed Stöber method using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a structure-templating surfactant. The as-synthesized core/shell structured sSiO₂/mSiO₂ composite particles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen sorption–desorption measurements. The effect of the sSiO₂ core size of the composite particles on oxide CMP performance was evaluated in terms of surface roughness and material removal rate (MRR). The root-mean-square surface roughness (0.15–0.31 nm) of the polished substrates slightly increased with increasing of the sSiO₂ core size (168–353 nm) of the composites with a comparable mSiO₂ shell thickness (16–18 nm). The sSiO₂/mSiO₂ composite particles with a relatively smaller or larger core presented a relatively high MRR for silicon oxide films. These oxide CMP results could be rationalized according to the contact area mechanism and indentation-based mechanism, incorporating the total contact area and chemical reactivity between particles and wafers, and the indentation depth of an abrasive particle onto the substrate surface.     

Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles Promote Monocyte Adhesion to Human Endothelial Cells: Size‐Dependent Effect

There is evidence that nanoparticles can induce endothelial dysfunction. Here, the effect of monodisperse amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO₂‐NPs) of different diameters on endothelial cells function is examined. Human endothelial cell line (EA.hy926) or primary human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (hPAEC) are seeded in inserts introduced or not above triple cell co‐cultures (pneumocytes, macrophages, and mast cells). Endothelial cells are incubated with SiO₂‐NPs at non‐cytotoxic concentrations for 12 h. A significant increase (up to 2‐fold) in human monocytes adhesion to endothelial cells is observed for 18 and 54 nm particles. Exposure to SiO₂‐NPs induces protein expression of adhesion molecules (ICAM‐1 and VCAM‐1) as well as significant up‐regulation in mRNA expression of ICAM‐1 in both endothelial cell types. Experiments performed with fluorescent‐labelled monodisperse amorphous SiO₂‐NPs of similar size evidence nanoparticle uptake into the cytoplasm of endothelial cells. It is concluded that exposure of human endothelial cells to amorphous silica nanoparticles enhances their adhesive properties. This process is modified by the size of the nanoparticle and the presence of other co‐cultured cells.     

Mechanical reinforcement while remaining electrical insulation of glass fibre/polymer composites using core–shell CNT@SiO2 hybrids as fillers

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely used as mechanical reinforcement agents of composites. However, their aggregations, weak interfacial interaction with polymer, as well as high electrical conductivity limit their use in some especial applications. In this paper, the silicon oxide (SiO₂)-coated (CNT@SiO₂) core–shell hybrids with different SiO₂ thickness were prepared and employed to reinforce glass fibre-reinforced bismaleimide–triazine (BT) resin (GFRBT) composites. The results indicated the mechanical properties, including tensile strength and Young’s modulus increased with the increase of SiO₂ thickness and CNT@SiO₂ loading. Such enhanced mechanical properties were mainly attributed to the intrinsically nature of CNTs, homogeneous dispersion of the hybrids, as well as improved interfacial interaction. Meanwhile, the composites remained high electrical insulation (9.63 × 10¹² Ω cm) due to the existence of SiO₂ layer on CNT surface. This study will guide the design of functionalized CNTs and the construction of high-performance composites.     

A comparative study of the effect of different rigid fillers on the fracture and failure behavior of polypropylene based composites

Polypropylene (PP) composites with 5 wt% of different rigid particles (Al₂O₃ nanoparticles, SiO₂ nanoparticles, Clay (Cloisite 20A) nanoparticles or CaCO₃ microparticles) were obtained by melt mixing. Composites with different CaCO₃ content were also prepared. The effect of fillers, filler content and addition of maleic anhydride grafted PP (MAPP) on the composites fracture and failure behavior was investigated. For PP/CaCO₃ composites, an increasing trend of stiffness with filler loading was found while a decreasing trend of strength, ductility and fracture toughness was observed. The addition of MAPP was beneficial and detrimental to strength and ductility, respectively mainly as a result of improved interfacial adhesion. For the composites with 5 wt% of CaCO₃ or Al₂O₃, no significant changes in tensile properties were found due to the presence of agglomerated particles. However, the PP/CaCO₃ composite exhibited the best tensile behavior: the highest ductility while keeping the strength and stiffness of neat PP. In general, the composites with SiO₂ or Clay, on the other hand, displayed worse tensile strength and ductility. These behaviors could be probably related to the filler ability as nucleating agent. In addition, although the incorporation of MAPP led to improved filler dispersion, it was damaging to the material fracture behavior for the composites with CaCO₃, Al₂O₃ or Clay, as a result of a higher interfacial adhesion, the retardant effect of MAPP on PP nucleation and the lower molecular weight of the PP/MAPP blend. The PP/MAPP/SiO₂ composite, on the other hand, showed slightly increased toughness respect to the composite without MAPP due to the beneficial concomitant effects of the presence of some amount of the β crystalline phase of PP and the better filler dispersion promoted by the coupling agent which favor multiple crazing. From modeling of strength, the effect of MAPP on filler dispersion and interfacial adhesion in the PP/CaCO₃ composites was confirmed.