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The natural occurrence of precious opals, consisting of highly organized silica particles, has prompted interest in the synthesis and formation of these structures. Previous research has shown that a highly organized photonic crystal (PhC) array is only possible when it is based on a low polydispersity index (PDI) sample of particles. In this study, a solvent-only variation method is used to synthesize different sizes of silica particles (SiPs) by following the traditional sol-gel Stöber approach. The controlled rate of the addition of the reagents promoted the homogeneity of the nucleation and growth of the spherical silica particles, which in turn yielded a low PDI. The opalescent PhC were obtained via self-assembly of these particles using a solvent evaporation method. Analysis of the spatial statistics, using Voronoi tessellations, pair correlation functions, and bond order analysis showed that the successfully formed arrays showed a high degree of quasi-hexagonal (hexatic) organization, with both global and local order. Highly organized PhC show potential for developing future materials with tunable structural reflective properties, such as solar cells, sensing materials, and coatings, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow microparticles are important materials, offering a larger surface area and lower density than their solid counterparts. Furthermore, their inner void space can be exploited for the encapsulation and release of guest species in a variety of applications. Herein, we present phosphazene-based silica hollow microparticles prepared via a surfactant-free sol-gel process through self-assembly of the alkoxysilyl-containing polymer in water–ethanol solution. Solely, a silane-derived polyphosphazene was used as the precursor for the microparticle formation, without additional classical silica sources. These novel hollow silica-based microparticles were prepared without surfactant, using a designed amphiphilic polyphosphazene for the particle formation made by two components, a hydrophilic unit consisting of 3-mercaptopropyl(trimethoxysilane), and a hydrophobic unit (dodecanethiol) attached to the double bonds from the poly(allylamine)phosphazene backbone via a thiol-ene photoreaction. Due to these two functionalities, a "vesicle"-like self-assembled structure was formed in the reaction medium, which could be then utilized for the microparticle preparation. The influence of NaOH during the synthesis was shown to affect the size and the wall thickness of the microparticles. This effect may enhance the possibilities to tailor such microparticles for drug delivery purposes or for future controlled release of other substances, such as drugs, fragrances, or anticorrosive pigments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new hybrid gated mesoporous materials ( SN3-1, SNH2-2, and SN3-3) loaded with the dye [Ru(bipy)3]2+ (bipy=bipyridine) and capped with different tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivatives (having different sizes and shapes and incorporating different numbers of sulfur atoms) have been prepared. The materials SN3-1 and SN3-3 are functionalized on their external surfaces with the TTF derivatives 1 and 3, respectively, which were attached by employing the 'click' chemistry reaction, whereas SNH2-2 incorporates the TTF derivative 2, which was anchored to the solid through an amidation reaction. The final gated materials have been characterized by standard techniques. Suspensions of these solids in acetonitrile showed 'zero release', most likely because of the formation of dense TTF networks around the pore outlets. The release of the entrapped [Ru(bipy)3]2+ dye from SN3-1, SNH2-2, and SN3-3 was studied in the presence of selected explosives (Tetryl, TNT, TNB, DNT, RDX, PETN, PA, and TATP). SNH2-2 showed a fairly selective response to Tetryl, whereas for SN3-1 and SN3-3 dye release was found to occur with Tetryl, TNT, and TNB. The uncapping process in the three materials can be ascribed to the formation of charge-transfer complexes between the electron-donating TTF units and the electron-accepting nitroaromatic explosives. Finally, solids SNH2-2 and SN3-1 have been tested for Tetryl detection in soil with good results, pointing toward a possible use of these or similar hybrid capped materials as probes for the selective chromo-fluorogenic detection of nitroaromatic explosives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]