In this work, silicone nanofilament (SNF) coatings were
prepared
via a droplet-assisted growth and shaping (DAGS) approach, where the
preparation of the coatings is allowed under ambient conditions. The
application of SNF coatings as catalyst supports for amino moieties
from (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) was investigated. With
the optimized coating conditions identified, the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller
surface areas of a bare glass filter substrate and bare glass beads
after the coating have increased by 5-fold and 16-fold, respectively.
The SNF-coated filters were readily functionalized with amino groups
via a liquid-phase deposition process, and their catalytic activities
for a Knoevenagel reaction were evaluated using a batch reactor and
a packed bed reactor. In both reactors, the as-prepared filters demonstrated
superior catalytic performance over the functionalized filters without
SNF coatings. Notably, the unique flexibility of the SNF coatings
allowed the facile preparation of a packed bed reactor and a scalable
catalytic system. It is expected that the packed bed system established
in this study will support the development and the use of various
SNF-supported organocatalysts and catalytic materials.
One‐dimensional silicone nanostructures, such as filaments, wires, and tubes, have attracted significant attention, owing to their remarkable application capabilities in a large range of material and surface science. However, the soft mechanical properties of silicone cause vulnerability and irregularity in the synthesized structures, which limits their applications. Herein, a simple, solvent‐free, and efficient dynamic Droplet Assisted Growth and Shaping (d‐DAGS) strategy is proposed for the one‐step synthesis and in situ control of the shape of silicone nanostructures. The special designed bamboo‐shaped silicone nanorods (SNRs) that are produced by the repetitive dynamic regulation of growth conditions, concomitant with the periodic purging and injection of precursors, exhibit highly‐regular and tunable structure with a specific number of segments, indicating that they can be tailor‐made according to the requirements of various properties. The enhanced mechanical stiffness and chemical durability strongly support their excellent performances in water‐resistance under both static and dynamic wetting conditions. The SNRs significantly promote buoyancy and self‐cleaning properties; and exhibit very high water‐harvesting efficiency compared with existing designs. Notably, the well‐structured ultra‐long rods with an ultrahigh aspect ratio (≈176) can also be fabricated by the d‐DAGS method, and they can remain standing straight upwards and regular, even though they consist of flexible silicone.
Dynamically Shaped Stiff Nanorods
In article number 2203820, Stefan Seeger and co‐workers propose a dynamic droplet assisted growth and shaping (d‐DAGS) synthesis strategy for the one‐step synthesis and in‐situ control of the shape of nanostructures. The obtained bamboo‐shaped silicone nanorods exhibit highly‐regular and tunable structure with ultra‐high aspect ratio, present robust mechanical stiffness and chemical durability, and can be used for various practical applications.
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