Preparation of hydrophobic mesoporous silica powder with a high specific surface area by surface modification of a wet-gel slurry and spray-drying

A hydrophobic mesoporous silica powder was prepared by surface modification of a sodium silicate-based wet-gel slurry. The effects of the volume percentage (%V) of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), used as surface-modifying agent, on the physicochemical properties of the silica powder were investigated. We observed that as the %V of TMCS in the simultaneous solvent exchange and surface modification process increased, so did the specific surface area and cumulative pore volume of the resulting silica powder. Hydrophobic silica powder with low tapping density (0.27 g/cm3), high specific surface area (870 m2/g), and a large cumulative pore volume (2.2 cm3/g) was obtained at 10%V TMCS. Surface silanol groups of the wet-gel slurry were replaced by non-hydrolysable methyl groups (–CH3), resulting in a hydrophobic silica powder as confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. We also employed FE-SEM, EDS, TG–DTA, and nitrogen physisorption studies to characterize the silica powders produced and to compare the properties of modified and unmodified silica powders. Moreover, we used a spray-dying technique in the present study, which significantly reduced the overall processing time, making our method suitable for economic and large-scale industrial production of silica powder.

Hydrophobic mesoporous silica powder has been prepared by surface modification of sodium silicate-based wet gel. The final product has low tapping density (0.27 g/cm3), high specific surface area (870 m2/g) and large cumulative pore volume (2.2 cm3/g). Contact angle measurements and other characterization techniques (such as FT-IR, EDS, and direct floatation) confirmed its hydrophobicity and purity.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide