Issue 24, 2016

Physicochemical aspects of epoxide driven nano-ZrO2 hydrogel formation: milder kinetics for better properties

Abstract

Robust and highly transparent quasi amorphous ZrO2-water-glycerol hydrogels were obtained in a mild one pot procedure, based on the 2,3-epoxy-1-propanol driven alkalinization. SAXS-based characterization of the sol–gel transition revealed that an homogeneously nucleated sol composed of 2 nm primary particles continuously grows up to a critical size of 5–6 nm, when gelation takes place. These particles reach a size of 8–10 nm, depending on the Zr(IV) concentration. Conductivity measurements offer an overall in situ assessment of the reaction rate. The gelled samples share a common trend: once the conductivity decays to 40% of the starting value, the primary particles nucleate and when this decay reaches 20%, the sol–gel transition takes place. The mild conditions employed herein prevent massive ripening and recrystallization leaving hydrogels with extremely low undesired visible light scattering. This suitable nanostructure was achieved in a wide range of total Zr(IV) concentrations or water to glycerol ratios.

Graphical abstract: Physicochemical aspects of epoxide driven nano-ZrO2 hydrogel formation: milder kinetics for better properties

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 जनवरी 2016
Accepted
25 फरवरी 2016
First published
01 मार्च 2016

Dalton Trans., 2016,45, 9920-9924

Physicochemical aspects of epoxide driven nano-ZrO2 hydrogel formation: milder kinetics for better properties

V. Oestreicher, M. Perullini and M. Jobbágy, Dalton Trans., 2016, 45, 9920 DOI: 10.1039/C6DT00323K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements