Nonsurfactant surface modifications of monodispersed Si-Cu core- shell nanocomposite

Monodispersed silica spheres with particles size of ca. 450 nm were successfully synthesized using modified Stöber method. The synthesized monodispersed silica spheres were successfully coated with copper through modified sol-gel method employing nonsurfactant template and catalyst. A renewable palm oil based as nonsurfactant surface modifiers, decyl-alcohol (C10) and catalyst were used to modify the silica surfaces prior to coating with copper. In order to study the effect of catalyst on copper deposition onto silica surfaces, ammonia was used as catalyst in various amounts. The X-ray diffraction patterns of Si-Cu core-shell exhibited a broad peak corresponding to amorphous silica networks and exhibited monoclinic CuO phase. It was found that samples modified in the presence of 1 ml catalyst exhibited relatively homogeneous deposition. The surface area of uncoated core (SiO₂) was at ca. 7.04 m²/g and coated samples 1 ml catalyst was at ca. 8.21 m²/g.