Synthesis and functionalisation of mesoporous materials for transparent coatings and organic dye adsorption

Abstract

Herein, we propose a facile method for the synthesis of functionalised mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) via the polymerisation of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) monomer with vinyl functional mesoporous silica nanoparticles (VMSN). The structural and functional properties of the materials are analysed using various characterisation techniques. Additionally, a transparent hydrophobic glass substrate is fabricated by dispersing a certain amount of the synthesised nanoparticles in ethyl acetate (EA) followed by spin-coating on a glass substrate and drying overnight at 80 °C. In summary, the functionalised mesoporous materials can be used for multiple applications such as the preparation of stable hydrophobic, transparent, and temperature-sensitive surfaces, as well as for the adsorption of Rhodamine B dye.