Abstract
In wettability study, surface free energy interactions are of crucial importance for silica aerogels in which absorption of organic liquids and transportation of chemicals carried out for chemical and biotechnological applications. In present study, we have used Lifshitz–van der Waals/acid–base approach for calculation of surface free energy of aerogel sample. We have investigated that the surface free energy values of aerogels are 45.95, 51.42 and 45.69 mJ/m2 by modifying their surfaces using 7 % chlorotrimethylsilane (TMCS), dimethyldichlorosilane (DMDCS) and hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ) silylating reagents with solvent, respectively. The alcogels were prepared by two step acid–base catalyzed process where the molar ratio of precursors tetraethoxysilane:methanol:oxalic acid:NH4OH:NH4F was kept at optimal value of 1:16.5:0.71:0.58:0.60:0.98, respectively. To modify gel surfaces, TMCS, DMDCS and HMDZ concentration have been varied from 5 to 12 % and such alcogels were dried at ambient pressure. The aerogels have been characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analysis and Wetting properties of silica aerogel surfaces was studied by contact angle measurements. The surface chemical composition of DMDCS modified silica aerogels was studied by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As there is not any direct method, we have used Lifshitz–van der Waals/acid–base approach which gives, polar and non-polar components of aerogels surface free energy.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are highly thankful to the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS) and Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Mumbai, India for the funding this work under major research project No. 2008/37/47/BRNS/2502 dated 28/01/2009. The authors D. B. Mahadik and M. S. Kavale are highly grateful to the DAE-BRNS Mumbai for the Senior Research Fellowship. The author V.G. Parale is highly thankful to Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur for Research Assistant under DST, New Delhi, India.
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Parale, V.G., Mahadik, D.B., Mahadik, S.A. et al. Wettability study of surface modified silica aerogels with different silylating agents. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 63, 573–579 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-012-2788-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-012-2788-5