Abstract
AbstractSugar-based amphiphilic molecules are used as templates in the sol-gel processing of thin silica films. The films are prepared relying on solvent evaporation-induced self-assembly during dip-coating in a humidity controlled chamber. Different surfactants, such as the commercially available alkyl glycosides (e.g. n-octyl β-D-glucopyranoside and n-dodecyl β-D-maltopyranoside), are compared with respect to their ability to cooperatively self-assemble in alcoholic silicate solutions. The larger polar headgroup (maltose) decreases the critical packing parameter and thus beneficially influences the formation of a favorable hexagonal phase over the lamellar phase, which is formed with the glucose-based surfactant. The inorganic-organic composite films show a strong influence on the humidity during their synthesis. For nonstructured films, ordering could be achieved by exposing the as-deposited films to a high humidity for several hours. The final material is characterized by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption and solid state NMR techniques.
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