Gypsum-based Silica Gel Humidity-controlling Composite Materials:Preparation,Characterization,and Performance

Gypsum was used as substrate,and silica gel was mixed into substrate at a certain mass ratio to prepare humidity-controlling composites;moreover,the moisture absorption and desorption properties of gypsum-based composites were compared with adding different silica gel particle size and proportion.The morphological characteristics,the isothermal equilibrium moisture content curve,moisture absorption and desorption rate,moisture absorption and desorption stability,and humidity-conditioning performance were tested and analyzed.The experimental results show that,compared with pure-gypsum,the surface structure of the gypsum-based composites is relatively loose,the quantity,density and aperture of the pores in the structure increase.The absorption and desorption capacity increase along with the increase of silica gel particle size and silica gel proportion.When 3 mm silica gel particle size is added with a mass ratio of 40%,the maximum equilibrium moisture content of humidity-controlling composites is 0.161 g/g at 98% relative humidity(RH),3.22 times that of pure-gypsum.The moisture absorption and desorption rates are increased,the equilibrium moisture absorption and desorption rates are 2.68 times and 1.61 times that of pure-gypsum at 58.5% RH,respectively.The gypsum-based composites have a good stability,which has better timely response to dynamic humidity changes and can effectively regulate indoor humidity under natural conditions.

Property of three-dimensional silica composites

Silica fibers-reinforced, fused silica composites were fabricated with repeated vacuum-assisted liquid-phase infiltration. The mechanical properties, thermal properties, and ablative properties of the samples were evaluated. The effect of the silica fiber content and treatment temperature on the flexural strength of the three-dimensional SiO2 （3-D SiO2） composites also was investigated. The SiO2 composites show good mechanical properties and excellent ablative performance. The flexural strength increases with an increase in silica fiber content, and decreases with an increase in treatment temperature. When the volume fraction of the silica fiber is 50vo1% and the treatment temperature is 700℃ the flexural strength of the composites reaches a maximum value of 78 MPa. By adding cyclohexanone surfactant, the infiltration property can be largely improved, resulting in the density of SiO2 composites increasing up to 1.65 g/cm^3. The fracture surfaces of the flexural specimens observed using SEM, show that the pseudoplasticity and the toughening mechanisms of the composites are caused by absorption of a lot of energy by interface debonding and fiber pulling out.

Preparation of Composite Microporous Silica Membranes Using TEOS and 1,2-Bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane as Precursors for Gas Separation

This paper reports on a new microporous composite silica membrane prepared via acid-catalyzed polymeric route of sol-gel method with tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS)and a bridged silsesquioxane[1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane, BTESE]as precursors.A stable nano-sized composite silica sol with a mean volume size of^5 nm was synthesized. A 150 nm-thick defect-free composite silica membrane was deposited on disk support consisting of macroporous α-Al2O3 and mesoporousγ-Al2O3 intermediate layer by using dip-coating approach,followed by calcination under pure nitrogen atmosphere.The composite silica membranes exhibit molecular sieve properties for small gases like H2,CO2,O2,N2,CH4 and SF6 with hydrogen permeances in the range of(1-4)×10 -7mol·m -2·s -1·Pa -1(measured at 200°C,3.0×105 Pa).With respect to the membrane calcined at 500°C,it is found that the permselectivities of H 2 (0.289 nm)with respect to N2(0.365 nm),CH4(0.384 nm)and SF6(0.55 nm)are 22.9,42 and>1000,respectively, which are all much higher than the corresponding Knudsen values(H2/N2=3.7,H2/CH4=2.8,and H2/SF6=8.5).

Characterization and adsorption behaviors of a novel synthesized mesoporous silica coated carbon composite

A novel mesoporous silica coated carbon composite(denoted SEG) with hierarchical pore structure has been successfully prepared in an aqueous solution that contains triblock copolymer template, aluminum chloride, siliceous source and expanded graphite. Textural property and morphology of the SEG composite were characterized by the combination of X-ray diffraction, N_2 adsorption–desorption, scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared measurements. Results show that mesoporous silica is steadily and uniformly grown on the surface of the graphite slices and the thickness of the silica layer can be finely tuned according to the silica/C molar ratio in the initial reaction solution. This newly synthesized SEG composite shows greatly increased adsorption capacity to methylene blue than the pristine expanded graphite in the batch tests. Both Langmuir and Frendlich models were further used to evaluate the adsorption isotherms of methylene blue over expanded graphite and SEG samples with different silica contents. Finally, pseudosecond-order model was used to describe the kinetics of methylene blue over expanded graphite and the silica-carbon composites.

Effects of precoating and calcination on microstructure of 3D silica fiber reinforced silicon nitride based composites

Three-dimensional silica fiber reinforced silicon nitride based composites were fabricated by preceramic polymer infiltration and pyrolysis method using perhydropolysilazane as a precursor. The effects of precoating and high temperature calcination on the microstructures of the composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. For the composite without a precoating, the fracture surface is plain, and the fiber/matrix interfaces become very unclear after calcination at 1 600 ℃ due to intense interfacial reactions. The composite with a precoating shows tough fracture surface with distinct fiber pull-outs, and the fiber/matrix interfaces are still clear after calcination at 1 600 ℃. It is the appropriate precoating process that contributes to the good interfacial microstructures for the composite.

STUDIES ON SYNTHESIS OF SILICA SOL-ORGANIC POLYMER COMPOSITE EMULSION

An emulsion of polystyrene/poly (butylacrylate-methyl methacrylate acrylic acid) core/shell latex particles (PS/P (BA-MMA-AA)) has been prepared by use of three synthetic methods. The effects of synthetic methods on the distribution of carboxyl groups in latex particles were studied. The results show that the seed emulsion polymerization in which the pre-emulsified monomers were added by dropping method to the second stage is the best technique for obtaining the optimum distribution of carboxyl groups on the surface of the latex particles. Furthermore, by using PS/P (BA-MMA-AA), a type of novel composite emulsion of silica sol-PS/P (BA-MMA-AA) was synthesized with the above method. By observation through transmission EM, the morphology of the latex particles obtained shows that a composite structure has been formed between silica sol particles and organic polymer particles.

Processing and performance of 2D fused-silica fiber reinforced porous Si_3N_4 matrix composites

Two-dimension （2D） fused-silica fiber reinforced porous silicon nitride matrix composites were fabricated using slurry impregnation and cyclic infiltration with colloidal silica sol. The microstructure and fracture surface were characterized by SEM, the mechanical behavior was investigated by three-point bending test, and the dielectric constant was also measured by impedance analysis. The microstructure showed that the fiber and the matrix had a physical bonding, forming a clearance interface. The mechanical behavior suggested that the porous matrix acted as crack deflection, and the fracture surface had a lot of fiber pull-out. However, the interlaminar shear strength was not so good. The dielectric constant of the composites at room temperature was about 2.8-3.1. The relatively low dielectric constant and non-catastrophic failure indicated the potential application in the radome materials field. 2008 University of Science and Technology Beijing. All rights reserved.

The Impact Compression Behaviors of Silica Nanoparticles—Epoxy Composites

The compressive properties of epoxy with different silica nanoparticles (SiO2 nanoparticles) contents at quasi-static and high strain rates loading were investigated via experiment. This article evaluates the compressive failure behaviors and modes at different SiO2 nanoparticles contents and different strain rates. The results indicated that the stress strain curves were sensitive to strain rate, and the compressive failure stress of composites with various SiO2 nanoparticles contents increased with the strain rates, and it increased along with SiO2 nanoparticles contents and then declined. The compressive failure stress and the compressive failure modes of the composites were apparently different from the change of SiO2 nanoparticles contents.

Supramolecular-templated synthesis of mesoporous silica-zirconia nanocomposite

Mesoporous SiO2-ZrO7 nanocomposite was successfully prepared by using supramolecular tfiblock copolymer as the template through evaporation-induced self-assembly approach. The textural and structural properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption analysis, and transmission electron microscope. Comparison between pure mesoporous silica and mesoporous silica-zirconia nanocomposite was also presented in this work. The surface area, pore size, and pore volume decreased as the Zr doping in the mesoporous silica framework. But the obtained nanocomposite maintained the cubic Im3m-type mesoporous structure.

Titania-Silica Composites: A Review on the Photocatalytic Activity and Synthesis Methods

The photocatalyic activity of titania is a very promising mechanism that has many possible applications like purification of air and water [1]-[4]. To make it even more attractive, titania can be combined with silica to increase the photocatalytic efficiency and durability of the photocatalytic material, while lowering the production costs [1]. In this article, relevant literature is reviewed to obtain an overview about the chemistry and physics behind some of the different parameters that lead to cost-effective photocatalytic titania-silica composites. The first part of this review deals with the mechanisms involved in the photocatalytic activity, then the chemistry behind certain methods for the synthesis of the titania-silica composites is discussed, and in the last and third part of this review, the influence of silica supports on titania is discussed. These three sections represent three different fields of research that are combined in this review to obtain better insights on the photocatalytic titania-silica composites. While many research subjects in these fields have been well known for some time now, some subjects are only more recently resolved and some subjects are still under discussion (e.g. the cause for the increased hydrophilic surface of titania after illumination). This article aims to review the most important literature to give an overview of the current situation of the fundamentals of photocatalysis and synthesis of the cost-effective photocatalyic composites. It is found that the most cost-effective photocatalytic titania-silica composites are the ones that have a thin anatase layer coated on silica with a large specific surface area, and are prepared with the precipitation or sol-gel methods.

Preparation and Characterization of Mullite-Silica Aerogel Composite Material

Silica aerogel due to the high specific surface area, nanometer level pores and low density of the micro structure, had excellent heat-insulating properties. But the characteristics of silica aerogel with low density and high voidage resulted in poor mechanical properties. In order to improve the strength of materials and meet the actual needs, in this paper the heat-insulating composite material was made from the silica aerogel and mullite fiber. This kind of composite material mainly contented of mullite fiber, formed macro block structure, that gas gel is coated and filled with mullite fiber. Furthermore, the composite material had good strength and kept excellent thermal stability at 600°C. In addition the density of composite decreased with the increasing of the gas gel content.

Genotoxic and Biological Evaluation of a Nano Silica Cross Linked Composite Specifically Used for Intra-Vas Device

The Context: Aims: To evaluate the biocompatibility and in vitro genotoxicity of a non-copper nano silica polymer modified composite for filtering-type intra-vas devices. Settings and Design: Academic research laboratory, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Prospective experimental study. Methods and Material: Non-copper nano silica polymer modified composite rods were implanted into the back muscle of rabbits for biocompatibility evaluation. Comet assay was applied to the determination of DNA damage, while, Mutagenic activity was tested by means of Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA 100 tester strains with and without metabolic activation. Statistical analysis used: qualitative and quantitative data were tested using the Chi-square test and Student’s test. Results: Only mild inflammatory reaction was observed in the surrounding tissues of the implanted nano-silica modified polymer composite in the early implantation stage, which was similar to that of the sham-operated group. The inflammatory reaction was completely disappeared after 12 weeks. No significant DNA damage (P > 0.05) were tested on the nano-silica modified polymer composite in Comet assay. In Ames test, the extracts from non-copper composite did not exert mutagenic effect on the bacterial. Conclusions: The non-copper nano silica modified composite did not exhibit in vitro genotoxicity and obvious inflammation in tissue, it would be a safe biomaterial for further clinical trial.

The Influence of Carbon Nanotubes and Nano-Silica Fume on Enhancing the Damping and Mechanical Properties of Cement-Based Materials

This paper conducted experimental studies on the damping and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube-nanosilica-cement composite materials with different carbon nanotube contents. The damping and mechanical properties enhancement mechanisms were analyzed and compared through the porosity structure test, XRD analysis, and scanning electron microscope observation. The results show that the introduction of nanosilica significantly improves the dispersion of carbon nanotubes in the cement matrix. At the same time, the addition of nanosilica not only effectively reduces the critical pore size and average pore size of the cement composite material, but also exhibits good synergistic effects with carbon nanotubes, which can significantly optimize the pore structure. Finally, a rationalization suggestion for the co-doping of nanosilica and carbon nanotubes was given to achieve a significant increase in the flexural strength, compressive strength and loss factor of cement-based materials.

Controlled Release of Diclofenac Sodium from Silica-Chitosan Composites

The release profiles of acidic form of diclofenac sodium adsorbed on mesoporous silicas (Silochrom and two samples of spherical silicas) were compared with the dissolution characteristics of the pure drug. Desorption of diclofenac sodium from impregnated silicas with various surface liophilicity and composites of silica with chitosan have been studied using rotating basket method in phosphate buffer, pH 6.8. Sedimentations of sodium diclofenac via adsorption and impregnation from alcohol solution on fumed silica and modified silicas with grafted aminopropyl and trimethylsilyl groups were carried out. Polymer-containing composites have been prepared by capsulation of silica particles with impregnated diclofenac sodium by protonated and deprotonated forms of chitosan. Effect of the silica surface nature on the active substance release rate was ascertained. Significant prolongation of diclofenac sodium release was detected in the case of application of hydrophobic silica as a carrier and protonated chitosan as a polymeric shell.

The Development and Characterization of Zirconia-Silica Sand Nanoparticles Composites

The present study aims to develop zirconia-Silica sand nanoparticles composites through powder processing route and to study the physical properties, mechanical properties and microstructure of the composites. Zirconia based silica sand nanoparticles composite with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% were developed through powder processing technique and sintered at 1500 ℃ for two hours. A decreasing trend of green density however an improvement in sintered density was observed. Also the addition of silica sand nanoparticles with 20 wt.% increased the hardness up to 12.45 GPa and microstructures indicated the diffusion mechanism of silica sand nanoparticles into pore sites of the composites.

Micromechanical interlocking-inspired dendritic porous silicabased multimodal resin composites for the tooth restoration

Porous silica particles have shown great potential application as reinforcing fillers in the field of dentistry due to their ability to construct the micromechanical interlocking effect at filler-matrix interface.However,how to accurately regulate the pore structure,especially the pore size,to increase the degree of the micromechanical interlocking and the performance of materials remains a challenge.Herein,we have proposed a facile self-assembly process to synthesize dendritic porous silica with tunable pore sizes(DPS-x)by adjusting the chain-length of the alcohols in the microemulsion.The mechanism of nucleation-growth is further put forward.The results indicate that the pore size of DPS-x indeed affects the mechanical property of composites,where the DPSpen particles with intermediate pore size are chosen as the optimal reinforcing fillers.The bimodal and multimodal filler formulations are further established to address the loading limitation of unimodal DPS-pen(46 wt.%).In virtue of the closepacked structure of identical spheres,the particle sizes of secondary silica embedded into the maximally loaded bimodal D3S7 composite(DPS-pen:Si430=30:70,w/w)are theoretically calculated without trials.Among all formulations,the developed multimodal D3S7+Si178+Si90 filler exhibits superior mechanical properties,the lowest shrinkage,and high polymerization conversion for dental composites,along with satisfied waster sorption and solubility,and good biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo,which are comparable to commercial composite Z350 XT(3M,USA).These DPS-x particles and their multimodal fillers can also be applied to other polymer-based biomaterials.

Removal of Microcystin-LR in lake water sample by hydrophilic mesoporous silica composites under high-throughput MALDI-TOF MS detection platform

Microcystins(MCs),a family of cyclic heptapeptide cyanotoxins,exists in aquatic environment where cyanobacterial bloom happens,which will accumulate in aquatic organisms and transfer through the food chain to higher trophic levels,posing a health risk to both animals and human bodies.Among various MCs,Microcystin-LR(MC-LR)is worthiest studied for its strong toxicity,ubiquity and widespread.Here in this work,iminodiacetic acid(IDA)decorated magnetic mesoporous silica(mSiO_(2))nanocomposites(Fe_(3)O_(4)@mSiO_(2)-IDA)were facilely synthesized which possessed the merits of large surface area(188.21 m^(2)/g),accessible porosity(2.66 nm),excellent hydrophilicity and rapid responsiveness to magnetic field.Then the composites were successfully employed to the removal process of Microcystin-LR in real water samples followed by Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry(MALDI-TOF MS)analysis,achieving the removal efficiency above 92.5%even after ten recycles of the composites.It provided a potential method for removing MC-LR in aqueous environment with high effectiveness,lower costs and less secondary contamination.

Thermal conductivity model of filled polymer composites

Theoretical and empirical models for predicting the thermal conductivity of polymer composites were summarized since the 1920s.The effects of particle shape,filler amount,dispersion state of fillers,and interfacial thermal barrier on the thermal conductivity of filled polymer composites were investigated,and the agreement of experimental data with theoretical models in literatures was discussed.Silica with high thermal conductivity was chosen to mix with polyvinyl-acetate （EVA） copolymer to prepare SiO2/EVA co-films.Experimental data of the co-films＇ thermal conductivity were compared with some classical theoretical and empirical models.The results show that Agari＇s model,the mixed model,and the percolation model can predict well the thermal conductivity of SiO2/EVA co-films.

Experiments and numerical study on heat transfer of moist silica aerogel composites at high temperatures

Silica aerogel composites have promising applications in high-temperature heat storage insulation.However,the impact of high temperatures and moisture on their insulation performance remains unclear.To reveal the influences of high temperature and moisture absorption property on the heat transfer of silica aerogel composites,an experimental and numerical study was conducted to explore the micromorphology,thermophysical parameters,moisture absorption characteristics,and temperature response.The service temperature limit of the silica aerogel composite has been clarified.Measurements have conducted for the thermal conductivity,specific heat capacity,thermal diffusivity,specific surface area,density,porosity,and pore size distribution of the heated silica aerogel composite(at temperatures of 600,800,1,000,1,100 and 1,200℃).The moisture absorption characteristic curve at 20℃ has been obtained.Thermal testing of silica aerogel composites under varying heating temperatures and moisture content has been completed.Additionally,a numerical method has been developed to calculate the temperature curve of moist silica aerogel composites.The insulation performance of silica aerogel composite with varying moisture contents depends on the game between thermal conductivity and latent heat.Compared with the negative effect of the moisture content on insulation performance,the positive influence of moisture evaporation and heat absorption is dominant in situations involving temperatures higher than the phase transition temperature.

Ablation Performance of a Novel Super-hybrid Composite

A novel super-hybrid composite (NSHC) was boron-modified phenolic resin (BPR) with three-dimensional reticulated SiC ceramic (3DRC) and high silica fibers. Ablation performance of the NSHC was studied. The results show that the linear ablation rate of NSHC was lower than that of pure BPR and the high silica/BPR composite. Its linear ablation rate is 1/17 of the high silica/BPR. Mass ablation rate of the NSHC is very close to that of the pure BPR and the high silica/BPR composite. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis indicates that 3DRC has scarcely changed its shape at the ablation temperature. Its special reticulated structure can restrict the materials deformation and prevent high velocity heat flow from eroding the surface of the materials largely and thus increase ablation resistance of the NSHC.