The structure of the preformed LC mesophase of water:transition metal salt ([M(H2O)6]X2):acid (HX):oligo(ethylene oxide) (or Pluronics):tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS) mixture during hydrolysis and partial polymerization of the silica source is maintained upon further polymerization and condensation of the silica species in the solid state. The liquid mixture in early stage of the silica polyme...

Mesoporous silica materials have been utilized for various applications (catalysis, sensing, drug delivery, adsorption and separation) due to their uniform mesoporous features as well as high surface areas. When organic polymer layers are introduced to the mesopore walls, the physicochemical properties as well as surface nature of the silica (e.g. hydrophilicity and surface charge) can be alter...

Polystyrene-silica core-shell nanocomposite particles are successfully prepared via one-step Pickering emulsion polymerization. Possible mechanisms of Pickering emulsion polymerization are addressed in the synthesis of polystyrene-silica nanocomposite particles using 2,2-azobis(2-methyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)propionamide (VA-086) and potassium persulfate (KPS) as the initiator. Motivated by potenti...

Polymerization conditions in the Pickering emulsion of colloidal silica-stabilized polystyrene latex were optimized. The influence process on various parameters, including particle size and distribution was investigated. Monomodal particles obtained by conducting at a temperature 80°C slightly acidic environment (pH = 5), while maintaining fast monomer conversion. It has been shown that amount ...

Free-radical polymerization inside mesoporous silica has been investigated in order to open a route to functional polymer-silica composite materials with well-defined mesoporosity. Various vinyl monomers, such as styrene, chloromethyl styrene, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and methacrylic acid, were polymerized after impregnation into mesoporous silicas with various structures, which were synthe...

Polystyrene-silica core-shell composite particles are prepared by one-step emulsion polymerization with a nonionic initiator VA-086, solely stabilized by silica nanoparticles. The silica nanoparticles are successfully incorporated as the shell, likely due to the fact that the nanoparticles are thermodynamically favorable to adsorb and remain at the liquid-liquid interfaces during the emulsion p...

We present an atomic lattice model for studying the polymerization of silicic acid in sol-gel and related processes for synthesizing silica materials. Our model is based on Si and O atoms occupying the sites of a body-centered-cubic lattice, with all atoms arranged in SiO(4) tetrahedra. This is the simplest model that allows for variation in the Si-O-Si angle, which is largely responsible for t...

Organic–inorganic hybrid materials have attracted much interest because of their novel and specific characteristics. One method to obtain these materials is in situ polymerization through free-radical polymerization. In this study, styrene monomers were covalently linked to silica (SiO2) using the suspension polymerization technique. In the reaction process, benzoyl peroxide was used as an init...

A novel method that selectively polymerizes pyrrole on the silica surface without inducing polymerization in bulk solution is developed, which is based on in situ generation of the NO(+) ion as an oxidant at the silica surface.