Sol-gel synthesis of Ru(II) complex of 3-4,5-dihydroimidazol-1-yl-propyltriethoxysilane aerogels and xerogels

The preparation and the measurement of some properties of Ruthenium (II) co ordinated 3-4,5-dihyroimidazol-1-yl-propyltriethoxysilane have been achieve d. The organosilicon precursor chosen for this study was N-aminoethyl-3-ami nopropyltriethoxysilane converted to 3-4,5-dihydroimidazol-1-yl-propyltriet hoxysilane that was then coordinated with ruthenium (II). FT-IR spectroscop y, DTA and TGA analysis were used to characterize the bond formation during gelation, aging and drying of gels. The prepared aerogels are low-density 0.19-0.30 g/cm(3) amorphous materials with surface areas of 405 to 530 m(2) /g. The resulting aerogel catalysts exhibited unique structural and chemica l properties.