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Structural study of the effect of mineral additives on the transparency, stability, and aging of silicate gels

  • Original Paper: Characterization methods of sol-gel and hybrid materials
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Abstract

This work evaluates the structural evolution of silicate gel over time with mineral additives. A comparison between fresh and aged silicate gel synthesized from silica and potassium hydroxide was carried out using FTIR, Raman, and 29Si MAS-NMR spectroscopies. Then, different additives, including NaOH, AlOOH, Li2B4O7, and HCl, were incorporated into the silica solution. The effects of these additives on the aspect, transparency, Qn polymerization, and stability of the silicate gels were studied. Structural studies showed that the quantification of Qn species was difficult using FTIR and Raman spectroscopies because of the existence of several contributions in the same spectral region of silicate species. More precise information was provided by 29Si NMR spectroscopy, which demonstrated the increase in Q3 species to the detriment of Q4, revealing the depolymerization of the structure over time. Further study of the effect of additives revealed that HCl, AlOOH, and Li2B4O7 did not improve the stability of the gel due to the formation of several networks. However, promising stability and transparency results were obtained using NaOH with a silicate/modifier molar ratio of 2.52.

Highlights

  • The decrease of Q4/Q3 ratio after ageing reveals the depolymerization of the structure of silicate gel.

  • Adding NaOH to the silicate gel preserves the transparency and improves its stability over time.

  • Polymerization of siliceous species with nSi/(nNa + nK) ratio equal to 2.52.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Recherche sur les Céramiques (IRCER), 12 rue Atlantis, 87068, Limoges, France

    N. El Felss, A. Gharzouni, M. Colas, J. Cornette & S. Rossignol

  2. Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), C/Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 3, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    I. Sobrados

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  1. N. El Felss
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Correspondence to S. Rossignol.

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El Felss, N., Gharzouni, A., Colas, M. et al. Structural study of the effect of mineral additives on the transparency, stability, and aging of silicate gels. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 96, 265–275 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05385-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-020-05385-x

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