Synthesis and characterization of silica-, meso-silica- and their functionalized silica-coated copper oxide nanomaterials

Silica- or meso-silica- or silica-meso-silica-coated copper oxide microspheres were prepared based on base hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of CuO and CTAB. Functionalization with amine or thiol organofunctional groups was conducted onto the surface of silica-meso-silica-coated copper oxide microspheres (Scheme 1). The silica-coated CuO composites and their amine- or thiol-functionalized materials have been characterized by TEM, XRD, TGA, FTIR and UV/Vis. TEM analysis showed that the CuO nanoparticles were encapsulated and dispersed into the silica or meso-silica microspheres. XRD analysis indicated that the size of CuO nanoparticles has decreased after coating with silica precursors. TGA and FTIR results indicated that the meso-silica-coated copper oxide materials have been successfully grafted by amine and thiol organofunctional groups.