title: Silica coating of nanoparticles by the sonogel process.
abstract: A modified aqueous sol-gel route was developed using ultrasonic power for the silica coating of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles. In this approach, organosilane with an amino functional group was first used to cover the surface of as-received nanoparticles. Subsequent silica coating was initiated and sustained under power ultrasound irradiation in an aqueous mixture of surface-treated particles and epoxy silane. This process resulted in a thin but homogeneous coverage of silica on the particle surface. Particles coated with a layer of silica show better dispersability in aqueous and organic media compared with the untreated powder. Samples were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the zeta potential.
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, 71 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 638075. qchen@simtech.a-star.edu.sg
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boothroyd
authors.forename: Gim Hong
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Nelvi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sutanto
authors.forename: Andrew McIntosh
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Soutar
authors.forename: Xian Ting
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Zeng