Hydrothermal Stability in Mesostructured Silica/Surfactant Composites: The Role of Kinetic Barriers

化学系授予加州大学洛杉矶分校的这项初创奖学金支持了Sarah Tolbert教授的研究。本研究的主题是水热条件下控制有序二氧化硅/表面活性剂介孔复合材料稳定性的动力学因素的研究。这些新材料由控制长程周期性的有机成分和提供稳定性和强度的无机骨架组成。如果去除有机组分，可以实时跟踪有序介孔材料的相变，以深入了解控制结构的动力学因素，揭示有机堆积约束和刚性无机二氧化硅骨架之间的相互作用。实时X射线散射和固体核磁共振光谱被用来跟踪结构变化和二氧化硅骨架缩合。本项目的实验结果将为直接用于二氧化硅/表面活性剂复合材料的新合成提供信息。这项工作的最终目标是学习如何形成新的复合或介孔结构，用于特定的应用，如催化或化学传感器。

This starter grant award of the Chemistry Division to the University of California at Los Angeles supports the research of Professor Sarah Tolbert. The theme of the research is the study of kinetic factors controlling stability in ordered silica/surfactant mesostructured composites under hydrothermal conditions. These new materials consist of an organized organic component, which controls long-range periodicity, and an inorganic framework, which provides stability and strength. If the organic component is removed, phase transitions in the ordered mesoporous material produced can be followed in real time to gain insight into the kinetic factors controlling structure to reveal the interplay between organic packing constraints and the rigid inorganic silica framework. Real-time X-ray scattering and solid-state NMR spectroscopy are used to follow both structural change and silica framework condensation. The results of the experiments in this project will provide information that can be directly used in new syntheses of silica/surfactant composites. The ultimate goal of this work is to learn how to form new composite or mesoporous structures for specific applications, such as catalysis or chemical sensors.