Abstract
Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelle-templated mesoporous SiO(2)particles (MSPs) are synthesized by sol-gel method. The CTAB templated SiO(2)particles (SPs) possessed spherical structure with low average surface roughness (Ra) 1 nm. The CTAB template is effectively removed from SPs by 400 degrees C heat treatment without any cracks and disruption of the bonding between the functional groups and the SiO(2)surface. After CTAB template removal, SiO(2)microspheres (SMSs) possessed high surface area 640 m(2)/g, pore radius 10 nm, and Ra similar to 4.4 nm, making them highly attractive for sensing. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) confirmed that SMSs are thermally stable, showing 0.7% weight loss after 429 degrees C temperature. Phenol red immobilized SMSs show large pKa value 8.1 at 560 nm. Good repeatability, no leaching traces, and fast response time similar to 0.09 s in basic media suggested that proposed material has potential for opto-chemical sensing/photonic applications.
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