The present study attempts to incorporate methacrylate-based polymers into ordered lamellar organic/inorganic nanocomposite films composed of alternating SiO2/polymer layers. The films are prepared by dip-coating from a solution containing the monomers and silica precursors, thus leading to composite lamellar mesostructured materials through evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). A polymeriz...

Hierarchically porous silica monoliths with well-defined interconnected macropores and uniform spherical mesopores were spontaneously prepared by combining polymerization-induced phase separation with an epoxide-mediated sol-gel route without any complicated aging and drying and high-temperature heat treatment. The precise control of pore structures can be realized by using propylene oxide (PO)...

Particle-agglomerated films exhibit rough surfaces, which can be suitable for realization of ultra hydrophobicity. We fabricated particles and their deposits silica with organic functional groups (SiO:CH) by plasma polymerization organosilicon reactants including methyl vinyl groups. The trimethyl(vinyl)silane reactant showed a uniform deposition the plasma-polymerized SiO:CH in large area, whi...

The existence of ether or ester-like complexes of silicate with organic compounds has long been debated in the literature on biological utilization of silicon. Comparison of theoretically calculated Si NMR chemical shifts for such complexes with experimentally measured values in biological systems could provide a diagnostic tool for identifying which, if any of these molecules exist under physi...

By manipulating polymerization conditions in solution precursors, it is possible to control the structure of silica aerogels. Porosity varies from grain-like to polymer-like. When produced from alkoxides, pH is the dominant factor that determines structure. Under strongly basic conditions (pH > 12) compact colloidal particles are observed. In the range pH = 8-12, particles of varying surface ro...

We have found that the concentrated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) brush showed the very good nanoparticles (NPs) repellency in its good solvent, e.g. tetrahydrofuran (THF). Whereas the oil- and hydro-phobic (fluorinated), hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces adsorbed a lot of NPs. The repellency of NPs did not depend on the surface nature of the NPs. Preparing absorption free columns for siz...

A polymeric microfluidic device for solid-phase extraction (SPE)-based isolation of nucleic acids is demonstrated. The plastic chip can function as a disposable sample preparation system for different biological and diagnostic applications. The chip was fabricated in a cyclic polyolefin by hot-embossing with a master mold. The solid phase consisted of a porous monolithic polymer column impregna...

Biosilicification in diatoms is achieved by specific interactions between silaffins, composed of polypeptides and long-chain polyamines, and silicic acid derivatives. The polycondensation of silicic acids is reported to be catalyzed by the long-chain polyamines that mainly contain tertiary N-methylpropyleneimine moieties. In this report, we utilized a tertiary amine-containing polymer, poly(2-(...

The synthesis of polymer brush decorated silica nano-particles is demonstrated by activator regeneration by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) grafting of poly(tert-butyl methacrylate). ATRP initiator decorated silica nano-particles were obtained using a novel trimethylsiloxane derivatised ATRP initiator obtained by click chemistry. Comparison of de-grafted poly...

In this paper we describe the preparation of fluorescent mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) for traceable drug delivery systems. The nanoparticles were prepared following a sol-gel procedure, incorporating a modified perylenediimide dye in the silica structure. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy show that the nanoparticles are monodispersed, with a spheroid sh...