A facile method for the fabrication of vinyl functionalized hollow silica spheres

In this paper, we adopt a facile method to prepare vinyl functionalized hollow silica spheres. Vinyl functionalized silica shells were coated on positively charged polystyrene particles by hydrolysis and condensation of vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), the polystyrene cores were dissolved subsequently in the same medium to form monodispersed vinyl functionalized hollow silica spheres. Neither additional dissolving nor a calcination process is necessary to remove the polystyrene cores. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), FT-IR analysis, TGA and porosity measurements were used to characterize the monodispersed vinyl functionalized hollow silica spheres.

Vinyl functionalized hollow silica spheres were synthesized through hydrolysis and condensation of vinyltriethoxysilane on positively charged polystyrene templates. The shell of the obtained hollow spheres possessed 12.7 mmol/g vinyl groups theoretically. Figure: TEM image of vinyl functionalized hollow silica spheres.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide