Preparation and Study of Molecular Structure of Copper Ions Doped in a Silica Xerogel Matrix

The silica xerogel is prepared using copper source; 0.02 mol of Cu(NO3)2.3H2O that has been added to 1 mol TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate). The Copper ions are doped to silica matrix by the sol gel method and determination of total molar ratio of components with a reported molar ratio of H2O /TEOS(R) = 6.2. In this method, the acidity the of reaction (pH) depends on the catalyst type in the hydrolysis step and the molar ratio of H2O /TEOS (R) that is studied with gelation time (tg). In this reaction, acidity varies between 2.4 and 3.5. Average size and molecular structure of this nanocomposite were analyzed using TEM, FTIR and XRD. Copper oxide can be produced from the decomposition of copper nitrate and is doped on the silica matrix by thermal treatment.