Synthesis and characterisation of silica nanoparticles bearing different functional groups obtained via a two-stage method

Silica nanoparticles with different functionalities (amine, nitrile, phenyl and vinyl) have been synthesised via a two-stage method and characterised in depth. Analysis by TEM, DLS and AFM has shown that the sizes of these synthetic nanoparticles are mainly in the range of 60-100 nm. In addition, ¹³C and ²⁹Si CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy has been used to provide evidence of the presence of the organic functional groups. Finally, zeta potential measurements have been used to determine the stability of the colloidal dispersions in each case.