Week 13

1. What is a “sol” and what is a “gel”?

Answer:

Sol is Colloidal suspension while Gel is non-fluid 3D network that extend through fluid phase

2. List five types of gels including what they consist of and the type of interaction/bonding.

Answer: Type of gel:

1. Colloidal typically made from metal oxide or non-metal hydroxide. The particles in it
Connected through Vander walls bond or Hydrogen bonding.
2. Metal-Oxane Polymer made from metal alkoxides. The bonding is covalent or intermolecular
bonding
3. Metal complexes made from metal complex solution and metal citrate. The bonding is a weakly
interconnected metal complex.
4. Polymer complexes I made from Polyhydroxy alcohol and Poly ester. The bonding is between the
organic polymer and interconnected with covalent and coordinate bonding.
5. Polymer complexes II made from coordinate polymer and metal salt solutions. Coordinate and
intermolecular bonding.

3. What is the Pecchini method?

Answer : Pecchini methods is a liquid mix process when metal oxide or salts in an alpha-
hydroxycarboxylic acid ( citric acid) solution is used to form complex-ring around the metal cations in
high temperature.

4. What is hydrolysis and what is condensation?

Answer : condensation reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which two molecules are combined to

form a single molecule, usually with the loss of a small molecule such as water. while, Hydrolysis is any
chemical reaction in which a molecule of water breaks one or more chemical bonds. The term is used
broadly for substitution, elimination, and solvation reactions in which water is the nucleophile.

Hydrolysis reactions can be the reverse of a condensation reaction in which two molecules join into a
larger one and eject a water molecule. Thus, hydrolysis adds water to break down, whereas
condensation builds up by removing water
Write down an example reaction equation for both.

5. How do acidic/basic conditions influence the outcome of the reaction?

Answer:

The pH values during the sol-gel process play an important role in the particle size, stability, and also the
morphology of the gel results.

Acid and Base play an important role in the stability of the transition state and that depend on the
electron donating or withdrawing pattern in hydroxy vs alkoxy groups.

Hydrolysis getting slower in the acidic condition and faster in the basic condition. This condition effect to
the outcome of the reaction.

In condensation, when we have basic condition, we typically know that the hydrolysis is fast (before
condensation happen). So, it will be occurred that the six steps of condensation state (multiple
condensation steps) and the results is small highly branched agglomeration. On the other hand, in acidic,
condensation happen before the hydrolysis completed (is slower), often we have condensation in
terminal in the edges and that leads to change of lite structures. In addition, pH also has effect on the
morphology of the gel structure. When we have lower pH, we get more change lite structure of the gel.
While, when we have basic condition, when get more branches of the gel structure.
6. What are the steps in hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis? When do you choose a

hydrothermal process and when do you choose a solvothermal process?

Answer:

We choose hydrothermal process when we use water as a solvent and it can be done in range of water
boiling point to form a crystal but we choose Solvothermal process when we use organic solvent or
others which has high polarity that allows us to do the process in the higher temperature than water.

The steps in Hydrothermal/ Solvothermal Synthesis:

Dissolve ions/molecules – perform the hydrothermal reaction (placing the apparatus box in the oven) –
Separation the products from the liquid – or doing annealing step with the higher temperature if we
want to.

7. What is the supercritical point of water and what are the most important properties of

superheated water?

Answer:

Supercritical point of water is the end point of the equilibrium curve and the area of liquid and gas exists
both. The important properties of superheated water are in this condition, the properties of water will
change such as less dense, less polar, and behave more like organic solvent. It also effects the
dissociative behavior of water, effect the rate of nucleation??, viscosity, dielectric constant,

8. Describe the difference between a batch and a continuous flow hydrothermal reaction. What are

advantages/disadvantages of each type?

Answer:

9. What steps in the nucleation and growth process of nanoparticles can be influenced during a

hydrothermal reaction and how do they affect the product?

Learning materials:

10. Describe the sol-gel synthesis of carbide and nitride nanoparticles.

11. How can the C/N ratio be controlled?

12. How does the alkaline concentration affect the formation mechanism and morphology of the

BaTiO3 nanostructures?

13. Name at least four more possible shapes of perovskite nanostructures and how they can be
formed.

14. How can core/shell structures be obtained?