Preparation and Spectroscopy of Aluminosilicate Films Deposited on Graphite Surfaces via an Anhydrous Sol-Gel Route

Abstract

Anhydrous aluminosilicate sols with Al : Si molar ratio ranging from 1 : 10 to 1 : 5 were prepared by a two-step anhydrous sol-gel process, in which tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) is pre-hydrolysed by formic acid, followed by addition of aluminium ethoxide. Unlike the case of aqueous sol-gel routes, where the Si–O–Al network homogeneity is greatly restricted by precipitation of Al(OH)3, this anhydrous route yields clear, homogeneous sols. The sol formation and densification processes were investigated by infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) techniques, and the existence of Al–O–Si linkages was confirmed. To demonstrate an application of the anhydrous sol-gel process, aluminosilicate films were deposited onto graphite surfaces by dip coating and densified at 800°C under nitrogen, and their protective effect was evaluated.