Kinetic study of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) hydrolysis by FTIR spectroscopy under different temperatures and solvents

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was employed to study the hydrolysis reaction of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) in an acid-catalyzed system. The compound is greatly important in the preparation of adhesives and moisture-curing inorganic–organic hybrid materials. The kinetic behavior of the hydrolysis reaction as a function of temperature and solvent was investigated by the systematic changes of MTES characteristic bands. The results showed that the hydrolysis reactions of MTES under acid conditions were greatly influenced by the reaction temperature and solvents, and the hydrolysis process followed a first-order reaction. The hydrolysis rate constants, activation energy, and Arrhenius frequency factor were achieved by linear regression analysis for MTES hydrolysis in the acid system. The solvent effects were explained as “hydrophobic interaction”.