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Inorganic-polymer nanocomposites are of significant interest for emerging materials due to their improved properties and unique combination of properties. Methacrylic acid (MA), a functionalization agent that can chemically link TiO2 nanomaterials (n-TiO2) and polymer matrix, was used to modify the surface of n-TiO2 using a Ti-carboxylic coordination bond. Then, the double bond in MA was copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) to form a n-TiO2-PMMA nanocomposite. The resulting n-TiO2-PMMA nanocomposite materials were characterized by using thermal analysis, electron microscopy, and elemental analysis. The dynamic mechanical properties (Young's and shear modulus) were measured using an ultrasonic pulse technique. The electron microscopy results showed a good distribution of the nanofillers in the polymer matrix. The glass transition temperature, thermal degradation temperature, and dynamic elastic moduli of the nanocomposites were shown to increase with an increase in the weight percentage of nanofibers in the composite. The resulting nanocomposites exhibited improved elastic properties and have potential application in dental composites and bone cements.

TiO(2) nanospherical and fibered structures were obtained via a one-step sol-gel method in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) involving polycondensation of the alkoxide monomers titanium isopropoxide (TIP) and titanium butoxide (TBO) with acetic acid (HAc). The resulting materials were characterized by means of electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analysis (TGA), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transmission infrared (ATR-FTIR) analysis. Depending on the experimental conditions, TiO(2) anatase nanospheres with a diameter of 20 nm or TiO(2) anatase/rutile nanofibers with a diameter of 10-100 nm were obtained. Fiber formation was enhanced by a higher HAc/Ti ratio and the use of the titanium isopropoxide (TIP) monomer. The mechanism of the microstructure formation was studied using in situ FTIR analysis in scCO(2). The FTIR results indicated that the formation of nanofibers was favored by a titanium hexamer that leads to one-dimensional condensation, while nanospheres were favored by a hexamer that permits three-dimensional condensation.

In this letter, we present a new method to synthesize titania nanofibers with nanocrystallites via a sol-gel route in supercritical CO2. The nanofibers were formed by the esterification and condensation of titanium alkoxides using acetic acid as the polymerization agent in supercritical CO2 from 40 to 70 degrees C and 2500 to 8000 psia. The TiO2 nanofiber morphology was characterized by means of SEM and HRTEM, which indicated that the diameters ranged from 9 to 100 nm. N2 physisorption, and powder XRD showed that the nanofibers exhibited relatively high surface areas up to 400 m2/g and anatase and/or rutile nanocrystallites were formed after calcination.

Titania nanofibers in high yields can be accessed by treating titanium isopropoxide (Ti(OiPr)4) with acetic acid (AcOH) in heptanes when R ≥ 4.2, where R = mol of AcOH/mol of Ti(OiPr)4. Electron microscopic (SEM and TEM) images of the samples confirmed that high-aspect-ratio nanofibers with diameters in the 10−20 nm range are produced under these conditions, whereas agglomerated spherical nanoparticles are produced at R ≤ 3.8. Powder X-ray diffraction and UV-vis data confirm the anatase crystalline phase after calcination at 400 °C, with the progressive formation of the rutile phase upon heating to higher temperatures. N2 physisorption analyses showed the calcined fibers prepared at R = 5.5 have surface areas of 95 m2/g. The self-assembly pathway leading to the nanofibers was delineated by in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy in tandem with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). It was found that the hexanuclear building block, Ti6O6(OAc)6(OiPr)6 (TAC1), is formed during the initial stages of the reactions, and that the axially ligated isopropoxide ligands of this complex are subsequently hydrolyzed to facilitate the one-dimensional condensation of the macromolecules at R ≥ 4.2. Incomplete hydrolysis at lower acid ratios impedes this axial growth, resulting in spherical nanoparticles.

The objective of the present study was to synthesize porous ZrO2 aerogels with a nanostructure via a direct sol-gel route in the green solvent supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). The synthesis involved the coordination and polycondensation of a zirconium alkoxide using acetic acid in CO2, followed by scCO2 drying and calcination. Either a translucent or opaque monolith was obtained, which was subsequently characterized by electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, N2 physisorption, and infrared spectroscopy analysis. The electron microscopy results showed that the translucent monolithic ZrO2 exhibited a well-defined mesoporous structure, while the opaque monolith, formed using added alcohol as a cosolvent, was composed of loosely compacted nanospherical particles with a diameter of ca. 20 nm. After calcination at 400 and 500 degrees C, X-ray diffraction results indicated that the ZrO2 exhibited tetragonal and/or monoclinic phases. In situ infrared spectroscopy results showed the formation of a Zr-acetate coordinate complex at the initial stage of the polycondensation, followed by further condensation of the complex into macromolecules.

A new method to obtain silica aerogel particles using acetic acid as the condensation agent for silicon alkoxides in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) is proposed. The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism of silica aerogel formation in scCO 2 using in situ analysis techniques. The synthesis and formation of silica aerogel particles was carried out by a modified sol-gel route, based on the hydroxylation and condensation of silicon alkoxides in scCO 2 ; both submicron and micron-size aerogel spheres were obtained. By means of in situ Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the activity of acetic, formic, benzoic, and chloroacetic acids were studied for the condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Formic and acetic acid gave slower rates than benzoic and chloroacetic acids. Increasing the concentration of acid and addition of extra water led to an acceleration of the reaction. The reactions were also studied as a function of temperature and pressure. Higher rates of reaction were obtained at higher temperatures and lower pressures. Results from particle formation studies indicated that by slowing the rate of reaction, precipitation and agglomeration of particles could be minimized. A submicron particle size range was obtained by depressurization of the sol-gel solution inside the reaction vessel, while the rapid expansion of supercritical solutions (RESS) process was found to yield particles in the size range of approximately 100 nm.

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