Preparation of composite silica particles for the removal of formaldehyde at room temperature

Abstract

Silica/amine and silica/platinum composite particles were successfully prepared by a novel strategy including a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion and self-hydrolysis by a one-step process. Amine groups and platinum nanoparticles were employed as a reacting group with formaldehyde. Thiol groups were employed as a chemical protocol to make a binding bridge between platinum nanoparticles and the silica surface. Because the composite particles have many reaction sites with formaldehyde molecules, the results showed a good ability for the removal of formaldehyde. In paticular, when the experiments were conducted using composite materials at room temperature, formaldehyde was removed efficiently. Detailed characterization of the composite particles and their applications were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), and a UV-vis spectrophotometer.