Facile Synthesis of Surface-Modified Hollow-Silica (SiO₂) Aerogel Particles via Oil–Water–Oil Double Emulsion Method

Abstract

Due to their high surface area and low weight, silica aerogels are ideally suited for several uses, including drug delivery, catalysis, and insulation. Oil–water–oil (OWO) double emulsion is a simple and regulated technique for encasing a volatile oil phase in a silica shell to produce hollow silica (SiO2) aerogel particles by using hydrophilic and hydrophobic emulsifiers. In this study, the oil–water–oil (OWO) double emulsion method was implemented to synthesize surface-modified hollow silica (SiO2) aerogel particles in a facile and effective way. This investigation mainly focused on the influence of the N-hexane-to-water glass (OW) ratio (r) in the first emulsion, silica (water glass) content concentration (x), and surfactant concentration (s) variations. Furthermore, surface modification techniques were utilized to customize the aerogel’s characteristics. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed no imprints of impurities except SiO2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images highlight the hollow microstructure of silica particles. Zeta potential was used to determine particle size analysis of hollow silica aerogel particles. The oil–water–oil (OWO) double emulsion approach was successfully employed to synthesize surface-modified hollow silica (SiO2) aerogel particles, providing precise control over the particle characteristics. By the influence of the optimization condition, this approach improves the aerogel’s potential applications in drug delivery, catalysis, and insulation by enabling surface modifications.

Keywords

• hollow silica (SiO₂) aerogel
• microdroplets
• surfactant
• oil–water–oil double emulsion