abstract
- © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The effects of drying on the physical properties of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNP), which were synthesized by hydrolysis and condensation of TEOS, where studied using the freeze-drying (FD) and alcohol-desiccation (AD) methods. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential and N2 adsorption-desorption techniques were used to characterize the as-prepared particles. Electronic microscopy showed that silica nanoparticles are homogenous, spherical shape and discrete in nature. FTIR analysis indicated no significant spectral distinction between FD and AD particles; DLS showed a slightly bigger hydrodynamic radius for AD particles while zeta potential did not differ significantly for those particles. Finally, N2 adsorption-desorption showed that the surface area and pore size varied slightly between the two samples. The results suggested that there no exists a noticeable difference between MSNPs that were dried through freeze-drying or alcohol-dehydration methods.