Shaping Silica Rods by Tuning Hydrolysis and Condensation of Silica Precursors.

ABSTRACT: We present the synthesis of colloidal silica particles with new shapes by manipulating the growth conditions of rods that are growing from polyvinylpyrrolidone-loaded water-rich droplets containing ammonia and ethanol. The silica rods grow by ammonia-catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The lengthwise growth of these silica rods gives us the opportunity to change the conditions at any time during the reaction. In this work, we vary the availability of hydrolyzed monomers as a function of time and study how the change in balance between the hydrolysis and condensation reactions affects a typical synthesis (as described in more detail by our group earlier1). First, we show that in a "standard" synthesis, there are two silica growth processes occurring; one in th

SUBMITTER: Hagemans F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6345103 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature