title: Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles under Sintering Conditions: A Quantitative Study.
abstract: Thin films made of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) are finding new applications in catalysis, optics, as well as in biomedicine. The fabrication of MSNs thin films requires a precise control over the deposition and sintering of MSNs on flat substrates. In this study, MSNs of narrow size distribution (150 nm) are synthesized, and then assembled onto flat silicon substrates, by means of a dip-coating process. Using concentrated MSN colloidal solutions (19.5 mg mL(-1) SiO2), withdrawal speed of 0.01 mm s(-1), and well-controlled atmospheric conditions (ambient temperature, ∼ 70% of relative humidity), monolayers are assembled under well-structured compact patterns. The thin films are sintered up to 900 °C, and the evolution of the MSNs size distributions are compared to those of their pore volumes and densities. Particle size distributions of the sintered thin films were precisely fitted using a model specifically developed for asymmetric particle size distributions. With increasing temperature, there is first evidence of intraparticle reorganization/relaxation followed by intraparticle sintering followed by interparticle sintering. This study is the first to quantify the impact of sintering on MSNs assembled as thin films.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Biomatériaux pour l'Imagerie Médicale, Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.|Department of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.|Centre de Recherche sur les Matériaux Avancés (CERMA), Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silencieux
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Biomatériaux pour l'Imagerie Médicale, Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.|Department of Chemistry, Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.|Centre de Recherche sur les Matériaux Avancés (CERMA), Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Meryem
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouchoucha
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Biomatériaux pour l'Imagerie Médicale, Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.|Department of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mercier
authors.affiliation: Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Biomatériaux pour l'Imagerie Médicale, Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.|Centre de Recherche sur les Matériaux Avancés (CERMA), Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.|Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chevallier
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.|Centre de Recherche sur les Matériaux Avancés (CERMA), Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kleitz
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Biomatériaux pour l'Imagerie Médicale, Axe Médecine Régénératrice, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec , Québec, G1L 3L5, Canada.|Department of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.|Centre de Recherche sur les Matériaux Avancés (CERMA), Université Laval , G1V 0A6, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fortin
mesh_terms: D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide