Microporous materials derived from the thermal decomposition of the titania/PDMS hybrid particles

A microporous material containing titania nano-particles was obtained by thermal decomposition of the titania/silicone hybrid spherical particles. The titania/silicone hybrid spherical particles were converted to porous silica with the BET surface area of about 360 m²/g by heat treatment at 400°C in air, while the spherical morphology of the particles was retained. The thermal decomposition of the organic groups of the hybrid particles was accompanied with the generation of the micropores and the transformation of the silicone to silica. The thermal decomposition of the organic groups and the micro-structural change of the hybrid particles were investigated by XRD, N ₂ adsorption/desorption isotherm, CHN elemental analysis, FT-IR, and solid-state ²⁹Si magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR.