Structural characterization of nanosized silica spheres

Silica nanospheres with wide applications on chemistry have been synthesized using the Stöber method and have been modified with several organic functional groups by post-synthesis reaction in anhydrous environments. The surface analysis of the silica nanosized spheres leads to low surface area values and large skeletal densities, pointing out to dense nanospheres. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) prove the microstructure level of the surface porosity that is clearly affected by the organic functionalization.

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