A new chelating resin, silica gel loaded with 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-benzoylpyrazol-5-one (PMBP), was prepared and used for the preconcentration of trace amounts of rare earth elements (REEs) in water samples prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). REEs (La, Eu, Yb and Y) were quantitatively retained on the column packed with modified sili...

A novel nanoarchitecture-reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposite was prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-grafted silica nanohybrids as reinforcements. MWCNT-grafted silica nanohybrids were synthesized by the generation of silica nanoparticles on the MWCNT surface through the sol-gel technique. This synthetic method involves organo-modified MWCNTs that are dispersed in t...

In this work, the effect of immobilization of bread yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) by sol-gel technique combined with functionalized nanoporous silica was investigated in different weight ratios of silica containing materials (TMOS: LUS-1). The activities of immobilized yeast in days after immobilization were examined. The results showed immobilization maintain the yeast life for a longer tim...

The separation and characterization of octylphenol ethoxylate surfactants were carried out by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on branched fluorinated silica gel columns. For Triton X-100, simultaneous separation of octylphenol ethoxylate oligomers, positional isomers of octylphenyl group and butylphenol ethoxylate oligomers was achieved. These oligomers were completely sep...

Sol–gel synthesis of powders consisting of regularly shaped submicron silica spheres (∅400–600 nm) is described. IR and absorption spectra of such powders have been obtained. The IR spectra demonstrate that the silica spheres heated at 800 °C are hydroxyl-free. The TEM measurements show that the dimensions of silica nanoparticles do not change during heating. Films of self-organized silica nano...

In this work, the effect of immobilization of bread yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) by sol-gel technique combined with functionalized nanoporous silica was investigated in different weight ratios of silica containing materials (TMOS: LUS-1). The activities of immobilized yeast in days after immobilization were examined. The results showed immobilization maintain the yeast life for a longer tim...

A significantly soft and tough nanocomposite gel was realized by a novel network formed using cyclodextrin-based polyrotaxanes. Covalent bond formation between the cyclic components of polyrotaxanes and the surface of silica nanoparticles (15 nm diameter) resulted in an infinite network structure without direct bonds between the main chain polymer and the silica. Small-angle X-ray scattering re...

The fluidization behavior of silica gel was tested in a fluidized bed under different sound pressure levels and sound frequencies. It has been found that the particle mixtures can be fluidized smoothly with sound assistance at low sound frequency owing to the sound energy disrupting large size of agglomerates. The minimum fluidization velocity was found to decrease with increasing sound frequen...