Self-assembly of Functional Silanes onto Silica Nanoparticles

Two functional silanes, γ-methacryloxypropyltriethoxysilane (MPTES) and γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), has been self-assembled onto the surface of silica nanoparticles in the dispersion system. The modifications of the ultra-fine particles were investigated via elemental analyses, XPS, FTIR and TGA. The elemental analysis showed that the amounts of the immobilized agents were 3.34 mmol/g and 1.03 mmol/g on the surfaces of γ-methacryloxypropyl-modified silica nanoparticles (MPSN) and γ-aminopropyl-modified silica nanoparticles (APSN), respectively. The mean hydrodynamical particle diameters of the bare silica nanoparticles, MPSN and APSN, determined by the laser scattering system (LSS), were about 240, 45 and 560 nm, dispersed in toluene, respectively.