Photophysical studies of a solid oxide/surfactant interface: Photo-reactions in the nanospace of the silica gel – Triton X100 system

Spectroscopic methods are used to study the adsorption of Triton X100 (TX100) to SiO₂ in a hydrophobic medium. The studies show that random aggregates of the surfactant that can host hydrophobic guest molecules such as pyrene and ferrocene form on the surface. Photophysical studies with the latter system show that small aggregates (N_agg = 33) of TX100 are formed if water (in concentrations as low as a monolayer coverage) is included in the system. It is suggested that the organic aggregates are formed in crevices or gussets of the SiO₂ surface.