Preparation of perfluoro-1,3-propanedisulfonic acid/silica nanocomposites-encapsulated low molecular weight aromatic compounds possessing a nonflammable characteristic

Abstract

Perfluoro-1,3-propanedisulfonic acid/silica [PFPS/SiO(2)] nanocomposites were prepared by the sol-gel reactions of the corresponding disulfonic acid [PFPS] with tetraethoxysilane and silica nanoparticles under alkaline conditions. These fluorinated nanocomposites thus obtained can exhibit no weight loss behavior corresponding to the contents of PFPS in the composites after calcination at 800°C, although the parent PFPS can decompose completely around 270°C. In addition, we succeeded in encapsulation of a variety of low molecular weight aromatic compounds such as bisphenol-A, bisphenol-AF, bisphenol-F, 4,4'-biphenol and 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol into PFPS/SiO(2) nanocomposite cores. (1)H MAS NMR spectra, UV-vis spectra, fluorescence spectra and HPLC measurements of PFPS/SiO(2) nanocomposites-encapsulated bisphenol-A showed the presence of encapsulated bisphenol-A in the composites before and even after calcination at 800°C. Interestingly, it was verified that fluorescence spectra of PFPS/SiO(2) nanocomposites-encapsulated bisphenol-A after calcination at 800°C can exhibit an extremely red-shifted and enhanced fluorescence peak, compared to that before calcination or parent bisphenol-A.