Facile fabrication of non-spherical thiol-functionalized organosilica particles and their adsorption of Ag(I)

Thiol-functionalized organosilica particles with bowl-like or golf ball-like morphology were successfully obtained through a facile sol-gel procedure. 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) were copolymerized under the catalysis of ammonia. The morphology and the growth process of bowl-like and golf ball-like organosilica particles were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that the morphology of the organosilica particles could be finely controlled by adjusting the amount of ammonia, the ratio of two silane precursors, the ratio of oil to water and the solvent system. Si-29 nuclear magnetic resonance (Si-29 NMR) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were used to detect the composition of the non-spherical particles. Moreover, the as-obtained thiol-functionalized organosilica particles performed high Ag(I) adsorption property with the maximum adsorption capacity of 465.0 mg/g.

Automated summary

Thiol-functionalized organosilica particles with bowl-like or golf ball-like morphology were successfully synthesized via a sol-gel process. The morphology of the particles could be finely controlled by adjusting experimental conditions. The particles showed high adsorption capacity for Ag(I), making them promising materials for environmental applications.