Synthesis of highly ordered alkyl-functionalized mesoporous silica by co-condensation method and applications in surface coating with superhydrophilic/antifogging properties

Organic functional groups were immobilized to SiO2 surface by the co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane and the hydrophobic organoalkoxysilanes RSi(OR`)(3) (R = C12H25) in the presence of a cationic surfactant CTAB as the structure directing agents and sodium hydroxide as catalyst in the pure water system. These alkyl-functionalized mesoporous nanoparticles were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and nitrogen adsorption-desorption et al. The results indicate that the spherical functionalized mesostructures silica particles are ordered 2D hexagonal mesophases with large specific surface area (> 1,000 m(2)/g), larger pore volume (> 1.2 cm(3)/g), narrow pore sizes distribution (about 2.7 nm) and uniform small size (about 110 nm). Furthermore, Texture analysis reveals the pore structure change to typical MCM-41 (2D hexagonal p6 mm) with increasing the amount of DTES and the chain length of the organic group. Furthermore, after being coated by the prepared sol (0.05 g/25 ml ethanol) containing dodecyl-functionalized mesoporous silica particles, the coated glass substrate showed good antifogging and superhydrophilic property.