Browsing by Subject "sol-gel"

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Open Access
Formation of pyrene excimers in mesoporous organically modified silica thin films for visual detection of nitroaromatic explosives
(2013) Beyazkılıç, Pınar
Pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound. Pyrene has been extensively applied as probing and sensing molecule because of excimer fluorescence which is formed upon interaction of two pyrene molecules in close proximity. In this thesis, we prepared porous thin films with bright pyrene excimer fluorescence and demonstrated their application in visual and rapid detection of nitroaromatic explosive vapors. The fluorescent films were obtained by physically encapsulating the pyrene molecules in the mesoporous organically modified silica (ormosil) networks which were synthesized via a facile template-free sol-gel method. Formation and stability of pyrene excimers were investigated in both porous and nonporous ormosil thin films. Excimer emission was found to be significantly brighter and more stable in porous films compared to nonporous films. The excellent stability of the pyrene excimers in the porous films is due to the nanoscale confinement of pyrene molecules in the porous ormosil network. We studied the nitroaromatic explosive sensing performances of the pyrene doped porous films. Films exhibited a rapid and visible fluorescence quenching when they were exposed to TNT vapor. Fluorescence quenching efficiency of an approximately 100 nm thick porous film was calculated to be 55.6% after exposure to TNT vapor for 30 seconds revealing a rapid sensing behavior. Fluorescence quenching of the films can be easily observed under UV light enabling naked-eye detection of nitroaromatic explosives. A selective quenching was observed in the excimer emission against vapors of nitroaromatic molecules; trinitrotoluene (TNT), dinitrotoluene (DNT) and nitrobenzene (NB) among various aromatic and nonaromatic compounds. Furthermore, quenched excimer emission of the films can be recovered by simply washing the films with water. It is shown that the films can be reused for at least five times after washing. To this respect, pyrene doped ormosil thin films can be presented as facile materials for nitroaromatic explosive sensing applications.
Open Access
Organically modified silica based nanomaterials for functional surfaces
(2012) Budunoğlu, Hülya
Organically modified silicas (ormosils) are unique materials due to their combined properties achieved from organics and inorganics. Ormosils contain at least one non-hydrolysable organic groups which results in a decrease of rigid Si-O-Si bonds, introducing a flexible character. Therefore, ormosils exhibit both flexibility of organics and atmospheric stability of inorganics. Organic group determines the functionalities of ormosils, thus their properties can be adjusted by choice of appropriate organic modification. Ormosils can be easily prepared in mild conditions of sol-gel technique, and can be applied on different surfaces by low cost and simple techniques. In this thesis, we prepared superhydrophobic-superhydrophilic, antireflectiveantifogging, anticorrosion and antiicing (ice retarding) functional surfaces using organically modified silica and its nano-composites in thin film form. Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) is used in the synthesis of all films due to its intrinsically hydrophobic nature. This monomer is found to enable porous film formation without any modifications at ambient temperature and pressure. Superhydrophobic ormosil aerogel films with water contact angles reaching 179.9 and porosity of 86 % have been prepared using phase separated colloidal suspensions of MTMS, which exhibited flexibility, thermal stability and superhydrophilic transition after annealing at 600 C. Antireflective films with high mechanical stability are prepared from co-condensation of MTMS with tetraethylorthosilicate monomer, which exhibited transmission as high as 99.6 % with flexibility and transition to antifogging after annealing at 600 C. Anticorrosion films for glass surfaces have been prepared by encapsulation of ZnO and ZrO2 nanoparticles to yield nano-composites of porous and nonporous ormosil films, which resulted in four times less corrosion compared to bare glass and acts as a barrier layer for corrosion of glass substrates against alkaline corrosion. In formation of antiicing coatings various combinations of ormosil films mentioned are used and correlation between contact angle, stability of contact angle against cooling, surface roughness and freezing times are investigated. Compared to bare glass, freezing times are increased two order of magnitudes.