Non-hydrolytic sol-gel synthesis of mesoporous iron-aluminum oxide and their properties in the oxidation of hydrocarbons by hydrogen peroxide

ABSTRACTProtoenstatite, a high-temperature polymorph of enstatite (MgSiO3), is generally not stable at room temperature, and is difficult to synthesize. Using a recently developed, hydrogen peroxide-assisted, sol-gel synthesis, protoenstatite was synthesized in a form that was stable at room temperature. Its crystallization was strongly dependent on processing conditions, particularly on the manner in which the xerogel was formed and fired. Xerogels prepared by evaporation, sprav-drying and freeze-drying were compared by XRD, HTXRD, BET, TG/DTA, and 29Si NMR methods. When samples were prepared by evaporation or spray-drying, the result was a mixture of polymorphs. Only the freeze-dried precursor yielded protoenstatite at a lower temperature and within a shorter time than any previously reported.

AbstractReal 3-D sub-νm lithography was performed with two-photon polymerization (2PP) using inorganic-organic hybrid polymer (ORMOCER®) resins. The hybrid polymers were synthesized by hydrolysis/polycondensation reactions (modified sol-gel synthesis) which allows one to tailor their material properties towards the respective applications, i.e., dielectrics, optics or passivation. Due to their photosensitive organic functionalities, ORMOCER®s can be patterned by conventional photo-lithography as well as by femtosecond laser pulses at 780 nm. This results in polymerized (solid) structures where the non-polymerized parts can be removed by conventional developers.ORMOCER® structures as small as 200 nm or even below were generated by 2PP of the resins using femtosecond laser pulses. It is demonstrated that ORMOCER®s have the potential to be used in components or devices built up by nm-scale structures such as, e.g., photonic crystals. Aspects of the materials in conjunction to the applied technology are discussed.