Synthesis of a covalently bound polymeric borazine structure on a mesoporous silica gel

Abstract

The successive modification of a well-characterized porous silica gel with BCl ₃ and NH ₃ has been studied using FTIR spectroscopy with photoacoustic detection and quantitative boron chloride and ammonia analysis of the surfaces formed. A borazine-like, highly cross-linked polymeric boron–nitrogen network, chemically bound to the silica surface, is created after four BCl ₃ –NH ₃ reaction cycles at low reaction temperatures. Combining IR and elemental analysis results yielded a quantitative depiction of the surface structure and the reaction mechanisms.