Surface modification of silica nanopowders in microwave plasma

Abstract

In this work, surface modification of nanopowders in microwave plasma process was demonstrated. In order to obtain silica nanopowder with polymeric coating, a two-step microwave process was designed. 3-Aminopropyltrimethoxysilane was used as the surface modifier. Transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy have been used for the direct microstructural imaging and chemical analysis of surface modified-silica nanopowders. The silica nanopowders were uniformly coated with a thick layer of amino-silane. Surface modification in microwave plasma is a simple, direct and easy to control process without using any solvents. The surface modified-silica nanopowders can be incorporated directly into polymer matrix for the preparation of hybrid nanocomposite materials.