A Facial Route for Preparation of Hydrophobic Nano-Silica Modified by Silane Coupling Agents

Nano-silica was prepared using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as precursor by sol-gel technology based on stÖber method. These silica nanoparticals were further modified with silane coupling agents, i.e., Hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS), dimethoxydiphenylsilane (DMMPS), to introduce organic functional groups on the surface of SiO₂ nanoparticles. The Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that these silane coupling agents were anchored on the surface of silica particles. And the obtained organic–inorganic hybrid SiO₂ particles showed an improvement in hydrophobicity, which can effectively inhibit these silica particles from aggregating.