(198j) Fabrication of Electrospun Mesoporous Silica Nanomaterials for Water Vapor Adsorption

To enhance the efficiency of thermally driven adsorption/desorption cycles for desalination or chillers, the development of novel nanoporous adsorbents which have high adsorption capacity as well as the efficiency of heat transfer across the adsorbents and heat exchangers has long been considered. Electrospinning process is a simple and versatile technique to produce inorganic materials into nanostructures combined with sol-gel method. Indeed, nanostructured mesoporous fibers are under investigation of the porous and hollow structure formation and thermal stability for applications. Here, we describe a systematic approach for the fabrication of electrospun mesoporous silica materials for water vapor adsorption by considering that structural parameters and nonwoven architecture. Surfactant-templated mesoporous silica materials were prepared via electrospinning process by adjusting the parameters: applied voltage, feeding rate, and etc. The physico-chemical and mechanical features have been studied in more detailed. The water vapor adsorption capacities of the prepared mesoporous silica fibers were evaluated for assorted temperature conditions. The results showed that the water vapor adsorption characteristics were dominated by the crystalline phase and the morphology of the mesoporous silica fibers. Hence, electrospun mesoporous silica materials are promising candidates for the adsorption desalination and the cooling applications.