Chemical modification of silica gels

Highly porous pure and polyethyleneglycol (PEG)-doped silica gels have been prepared from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in ethanol using NH4OH base-catalysis. Addition of PEG to the SiO2-system increases the average particle size and most frequent pore diameter of the resultant gels while their total surface area decreases. The viscosity of the sol increases with PEG concentration and passes through a maximum with increasing molecular weight at PEG 200. Results obtained indicate a definite interaction of the polymer with SiO2 and that this interaction is not as a result of direct formation of Si-O-C linkage, but is more likely to be due to hydrogen bonding between the hydrated PEG and the Si-O-Si network. Structure-process correlations are considered.