AN INTERNAL DOPING METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF TRANSPARENT HYBRID XEROGELS CONTAINING NANO-SIZED IRON PARTICLES

Sol-gel copolymerization of iron tricarbonyl-2-(triisopropoxysilyl)-1, 3-butadiene with 1,6-bistriethoxysilylhexane and 1,4-bistriethoxysilyl benzene followed by drying produced bridged polysilsesquioxane xerogel s. These porous, transparent hybrid materials containing the iron meta l precursor were irradiated (UV) and heated under vacuum resulting in the deposition of nano-sized iron particles doped in the xerogels. EDA X and electron diffraction techniques were used to characterize the ir on phases. The TEM images of these doped xerogels provided additional information regarding the domain size of the iron phase. Using a combi nation of external doping of Cd2+ and S2- ions and internal doping of Fe degrees, mixed Fe/CdS phases were prepared within the porous bridge d polysilsesquioxane xerogels. The resulting doped xerogels were found to have retained their porous morphology.