Shukla, C.A. orcid.org/0000-0001-9634-5799, Moghadam, R.P. orcid.org/0000-0001-8434-0755, Patwardhan, S.V. orcid.org/0000-0002-4958-8840 et al. (1 more author) (2024) Feasibility and advantages of continuous synthesis of bioinspired silica Using CO2 as an Acidifying Agent. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 12 (27). pp. 10260-10268. ISSN 2168-0485
Abstract
In this work, we present a method for the continuous synthesis of bioinspired porous silica (BIS) particles using carbon dioxide (CO2) as an acidifying agent. Typical BIS synthesis uses strong mineral acids (e.g., HCl) to initiate the hydrolysis and subsequent condensation reactions. The use of strong acids leads to challenges in controlling the reaction pH. The synthesis approach proposed in this work offers for the first time CO2 as an attractive alternative for the synthesis of BIS and demonstrates the continuous process. The developed method leverages the mild acidic and the self-buffering nature of the CO2 combined with additional options for controlling mass transfer rates to facilitate enhanced control of pH, which is crucial for controlling the properties of synthesized BIS. Proof of concept experiments conducted in continuous mode demonstrated a yield of over 70% and a surface area exceeding 500 m2/g. These results indicate the successful synthesis of BIS using CO2 with properties in the desired range. The enhanced pH control offered by this CO2-based process will facilitate the implementation of a sustainable and robust continuous process for BIS synthesis.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. This publication is licensed under CC-BY 4.0. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | sustainable synthesis; pH control; porous particles; surface area; zeta potential |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL EP/V051458/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Aug 2024 10:43 |
Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2024 10:44 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c03101 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215589 |