| Title |
Tunable Interfacial Chemistry of Spherical Silica by Single- and Dual-Silane Modification with gamma-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane and Octadecyltriethoxysilane |
| Authors |
(Won Seon Seo) ; (Sangwoo Kim) ; (Beom Zoo Lee) ; (Ji Hye Jeon) ; (Minzhen Li) ; (Min Young Kim) ; (Jeong Yun Hwang) ; (Young-Min Byoun) ; (Gi Hyeon Han) ; (Changhyun Jin) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.3365/KJMM.2026.64.8.702 |
| ISSN |
1738-8228(ISSN), 2288-8241(eISSN) |
| Keywords |
Silica; gamma-Glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane; Octadecyltriethoxysilane; Interfaces; Surface modification |
| Abstract |
The interfacial properties of sub-micrometer spherical silica particles surface-modified with gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS), octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTES), and a mixture of GPTMS and OTES at various ratios were systematically investigated and compared. To suppress the self-aggregation of the silane-based surface modifiers, promote monolayer formation, and enhance particle dispersibility, all samples were dispersed in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) at a concentration of 1 wt.% and physically agitated using ZrO2 balls for 3 h. Under these processing conditions, neither the GPTMS- nor the OTES-modified silica exhibited noticeable aggregation or dispersion instability. The hydrodynamic particle sizes of the pristine spherical silica, GPTMS-modified silica, and OTES-modified silica were approximately 632, 634, and 821 nm, respectively. This difference can be ascribed to the lower molecular weight of GPTMS compared to OTES, as well as the more efficient bonding behavior of GPTMS on the spherical silica surface. However, among the mixed GPTMS/OTES systems, only the 1:1 ratio (792 nm) exhibited interfacial characteristics intermediate between those of the individually modified samples. Conversely, the 3:1 and 1:3 ratios displayed relatively broader size-distribution profiles. These results suggest that 1:1 hybrid silanization provides a promising strategy for balancing and potentially overcoming the limitations associated with individual surface modifiers. |