Multiscale Viscoelastic Investigation of Silica-Calcium-Phosphate Sol-Gel Materials

• Main Authors: Talos F., Ponton A., Abou B., Chevillot A., Lecoq H., Simon S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: De Gruyter 2015-12-01
• Series: Applied Rheology
• Subjects: gels; sol-gel transition; microrheology; compression; ftir; sem
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3933/applrheol-25-63567

The sol-gel transition of homogeneous biocomposites synthesized using tetraethyl-orthosilicate alkoxide, calcium nitrate tetra hydrate and di-ammonium hydrogen phosphate salts as reagents are investigated at the macroscopic scale by small amplitude oscillatory shear measurements and probed locally by passive microrheology at 37 °C. Structural evolutions during the sol-gel transition are studied by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The Young’s modulus of the aged gels is measured as a function of time, at room temperature. Moreover the materials are dried, thermally treated and characterized by laser scattering analysis and X-ray diffraction to obtain the particle size distribution and crystallite size respectively and to observe the morphology by Scanning Electron Microscopy.