Additional Funding Sources
The project described was supported by a student grant from the UI Office of Undergraduate Research.
Abstract
Mesoporous silica can act as a reaction guiding tool for extrusion polymerization. This project’s goal is to study more efficient ways of synthesizing specific mesoporous silica nanostructures to yield the most desirable properties when used in extrusion polymerization. Extensive work has been done on the synthesis of mesoporous silica by Nicola Zucchetto and Dominik Bruhwiler, while the extrusion polymerization reaction was pioneered by Keisuke Kageyama, Jun-ichi Tamazawa, and Takuzo Aida. This project is unique in the fact that its primary focus is exploring different mesoporous silica structure variations and then analyzing the effect different structures have on extrusion polymerization. Mesoporous silica was synthesized with both different surfactants and the addition of structure directing salts. We expect to find the effect these different surfactants have on the aspect ratio and pore size of mesoporous silica through x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. These findings will then be examined alongside material data from polymers synthesized through extrusion polymerization to help better understand the relationship between mesoporous silica structure and the extrusion polymerization it facilitates.
Synthesis of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Use in Extrusion Polymerization
Mesoporous silica can act as a reaction guiding tool for extrusion polymerization. This project’s goal is to study more efficient ways of synthesizing specific mesoporous silica nanostructures to yield the most desirable properties when used in extrusion polymerization. Extensive work has been done on the synthesis of mesoporous silica by Nicola Zucchetto and Dominik Bruhwiler, while the extrusion polymerization reaction was pioneered by Keisuke Kageyama, Jun-ichi Tamazawa, and Takuzo Aida. This project is unique in the fact that its primary focus is exploring different mesoporous silica structure variations and then analyzing the effect different structures have on extrusion polymerization. Mesoporous silica was synthesized with both different surfactants and the addition of structure directing salts. We expect to find the effect these different surfactants have on the aspect ratio and pore size of mesoporous silica through x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. These findings will then be examined alongside material data from polymers synthesized through extrusion polymerization to help better understand the relationship between mesoporous silica structure and the extrusion polymerization it facilitates.