Effect of two-step organic modification on sol-gel derived mesoporous silica films

Abstract

A new way to modify the surface of mesoporous silica film to be hydrophobic is introduced in this paper. A surface modification agent Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) was applied to yield hydrophobic groups on the surface of porous silica films before and after template removal to prevent the absorption of moisture. Compared to the normal hydrophobic treatment, the hydrophobic properties of the mesoporous silica films were enhanced greatly after the two-step treatments.