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Clément Sanchez

Publications and source records attributed to Clément Sanchez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Three-dimensional opal-like silica foams.

The synthesis of novel meso-/macroporous SiO2 monoliths by combining a nano-building-blocks-based approach with the confined geometry of a tailored air-liquid foam structure is described. The resulting macrostructure in which ordered close-packed colloidal silica nanoparticles constitute the monolith's scaffolds very closely resembles the tailored periodic air-liquid foam template. The void spaces between adjacent particles create textural mesoporosity; therefore, the as-prepared silica networks are characterized by hierarchical porosity at the macroscopic and mesoscopic length scales. The fine-tuning of both the liquid foam's fraction and the bubble size allows a rational design over the macroscopic cell morphologies (shape, Plateau border's length, and width). Striking results of this approach are the weak shrinkage of the as-synthesized opal-like scaffolds during the thermally induced sintering process and, in contrast with previous studies, the formation of closed-cell structures. Particle organization and the foam film surface roughness are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), showing the influence of the liquid flow, within the foams' Plateau borders and films, on the final assemblies.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Hierarchically structured transparent hybrid membranes by in situ growth of mesostructured organosilica in host polymer.

The elaborate performances characterizing natural materials result from functional hierarchical constructions at scales ranging from nanometres to millimetres, each construction allowing the material to fit the physical or chemical demands occurring at these different levels. Hierarchically structured materials start to demonstrate a high input in numerous promising applied domains such as sensors, catalysis, optics, fuel cells, smart biologic and cosmetic vectors. In particular, hierarchical hybrid materials permit the accommodation of a maximum of elementary functions in a small volume, thereby optimizing complementary possibilities and properties between inorganic and organic components. The reported strategies combine sol-gel chemistry, self-assembly routes using templates that tune the material's architecture and texture with the use of larger inorganic, organic or biological templates such as latex, organogelator-derived fibres, nanolithographic techniques or controlled phase separation. We propose an approach to forming transparent hierarchical hybrid functionalized membranes using in situ generation of mesostructured hybrid phases inside a non-porogenic hydrophobic polymeric host matrix. We demonstrate that the control of the multiple affinities existing between organic and inorganic components allows us to design the length-scale partitioning of hybrid nanomaterials with tuned functionalities and desirable size organization from ångström to centimetre. After functionalization of the mesoporous hybrid silica component, the resulting membranes have good ionic conductivity offering interesting perspectives for the design of solid electrolytes, fuel cells and other ion-transport microdevices.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Surface nanopatterning by organic/inorganic self-assembly and selective local functionalization.

Patterning silicon surfaces by well-ordered nanoperforated TiO(2) layers is achieved through a simple block copolymer-assisted liquid deposition technique followed by direct thermal treatment. The crater diameters are tuned between 10 and 50 nm, depending on the molecular weight of the surfactant patterning agent. The formation mechanism of such systems is discussed. The present nanopatterned heterogeneous surfaces (nanoholes with SiO(2) bottom surfaces and TiO(2) walls) are selectively functionalized with two different perfluorinated organic groups. The accessibility to the substrate surface through such nanoholes and the selective distribution of both functions on the surface is evidenced by water-contact-angle measurements, which satisfactorily verify the Cassie relationship. Such systems have wide application prospects in varied fields such as nanotechnology and engineering.

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

Growth versus cyclization in the early stages of the polycondensation of metal alkoxides.

The early steps of the polycondensation of transition metal alkoxide have been studied from the chemical and structural points of view. Polyoxoalkoxides are described like macromolecules by the composition of the repeating unit, the degree of polymerization (N), and the radius of gyration (R). The fraction p of binding sites of the coordination sphere of the metal centers occupied by terminal ligands determines N as follows: N proportional, variant pdf (dA-df), where df is the fractal dimension and dA is defined by Np proportional, variant RdA. This approach addresses difficulties raised by both coordinative unsaturation and cyclization in the modelization of the polycondensation of metal alkoxides. The coordinative unsaturation is accounted for by a particularly small value of dA= 1 in the very early steps, while the cyclization frequency is measured by the difference dA-df. This difference is not constant along the polycondensation process, and its dependence on the extent of reaction provides clues for understanding the high apparent kinetics order of gelation often reported in the literature.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Porosity and mechanical properties of mesoporous thin films assessed by environmental ellipsometric porosimetry.

Mesoordered silica thin films with cubic structures were prepared by evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) with two types of structuring agent (CTAB and block copolymer F127). A complete and accurate description of these films was obtained by combining 2D-SAXS analyses, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, and a specially designed environmental ellipsometric porosimetry (EEP) experiment. The EEP analysis is rapid and cheap and operates at ambient pressure and temperature. This latter experiment was performed with water and produced a set of water adsorption-desorption isotherms. A modified Kelvin equation, coupled with a modelisation of pores contraction, enabled the determination of the structural parameters of films porous networks: ellipsoidal pore diameters, porous volume, and surface area. Young moduli of films in the direction perpendicular to the substrates were calculated from these parameters.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

New hybrid bidentate ligands as precursors for smart catalysts.

1-Phosphanorbornadiene derivatives were grafted onto various periodically organized mesoporous powders, including a new zirconia/silica mixed oxide synthesized by aerosol techniques. After complexation with the [Rh(CO)2]+ fragment, these materials were revealed to be more active in olefin hydrogenation than their homogeneous counterparts. The reasons for this higher activity are discussed in the light of theoretical modeling. Various surface treatments, such as esterification, drying, and functionalization with PhSi(OEt)3, provided insights into the nature and mechanism of formation of the active species. Zirconia-based materials were found to be active in internal olefin hydroformylation. Investigation of the mechanism of this reaction shows that the isomerization step is catalyzed by the Lewis acidic support, whereas the hydroformylation step is driven by the rhodium catalyst. Dissociation of these two steps leads to enhancement of activity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Reactivity of titanium oxo ethoxo cluster [Ti16O16(OEt)32]. Versatile precursor of nanobuilding block-based hybrid materials.

Oxo alcoxo metallic clusters can be employed as inorganic nanobuilding blocks to obtain well-defined organic-inorganic hybrid materials. A better understanding of the surface reactivity of the clusters should allow optimization of the elaboration of hybrid materials through a better control of the hybrid interface. The oxo alcoxo cluster Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)32 presents a shell of labile ethoxy groups that can be selectively transalcoholyzed with preservation of the titanium oxo core, leading to new oxo alcoxo clusters Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)32-x(OR)x (R: alkyl, phenyl, styrenic, etc. groups). The reactivity of the Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)32 cluster toward aliphatic and aromatic alcohols is investigated to determine both the kinetics and the number of substituted titanium atoms, which are strongly dependent on the nature of the alcohol. Characterization of the organic modification of the cluster is performed in situ by liquid (13)C NMR measurements, using the molecular structures of two new clusters, Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)28(OnPr)4 and Ti(16)O(16)(OEt)(24)(OnPr)(8) (OnPr = propoxy groups), as references. The structures of these clusters have been established using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Moreover, a complete spectroscopic assignment of each ethoxy group is proposed after combining crystallographic data, (13)C NMR T(1) relaxation measurements, and (1)H-(1)H, (1)H-(13)C 2D NMR experiments. Finally, the cluster is functionalized with polymerizable ligands via transalcoholysis and transesterification reactions using hydroxystyrene and acetoxystyrene.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Self-assembly and crystallization behavior of mesoporous, crystalline HfO2 thin films: a model system for the generation of mesostructured transition-metal oxides.

Mesoporous thin films of crystalline hafnium oxide were fabricated by evaporation-induced self-assembly in combination with sol-gel processing, followed by a suitable post heat-treatment procedure to initiate the crystallization. A novel type of block-copolymer template was used as structure-directing agent, which generated a distorted cubic arrangement of spherical mesopores, the size of which could be quantified by suitable techniques, such as ellipsometry-porosimetry, small-angle X-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy. Detailed insights into the nature of the crystallization process of mesostructured hafnium oxide were obtained by temperature-dependent, in situ X-ray scattering experiments. These investigations revealed that crystallization takes place, within the confinement of the mesostructure, as a solid-solid transition from a dehydrated, amorphous form of hafnium oxide. The study suggests that one main benefit of the novel template results from the ability of the polymer to stabilize the mesostructure of amorphous hafnium oxide up to 400-450 degrees C.

Crystallization↗
PubMed2005

Biomimetism and bioinspiration as tools for the design of innovative materials and systems.

Materials found in nature combine many inspiring properties such as sophistication, miniaturization, hierarchical organizations, hybridation, resistance and adaptability. Elucidating the basic components and building principles selected by evolution to propose more reliable, efficient and environment-respecting materials requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Biocompatible Materials↗
PubMed2004

Periodically ordered nanoscale islands and mesoporous films composed of nanocrystalline multimetallic oxides.

Innovative strategies to produce well-defined nanoparticles and other nanostructures such as nanofibres, quantum wells and mesoporous materials have revitalized materials science for the potential benefit to society. Here, we report a controlled process, involving soft-chemistry-based deposition, template-assisted mesostructured growth, and tuned annealing conditions that allows the preparation of ordered mesoporous crystalline networks and mesostructured nano-island single layers, composed of multicationic metal oxides having perovskite, tetragonal or ilmenite structures. This strategy to obtain meso-organized multi-metal-oxide nanocrystalline films (M(3)NF) bridges the gap between conventional mesoporous materials and the remarkable properties of crystalline ternary or quaternary metallic oxides. Nanocrystalline mesoporous films with controlled wall thickness (10-20 nm) of dielectric SrTiO(3), photoactive MgTa(2)O(6) or ferromagnetic semi-conducting Co(x)Ti(1-x)O(2-x) were prepared by evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) using a specially designed non-ionic block-copolymer template. A tuned thermal treatment of the mesoporous films permits the transfer of the wall structure into nanocrystallites, with all tectonic units being tightly incorporated into mechanically stable ordered tri- or bidimensional nanocrystalline networks. This methodology should allow multifunctionalization, miniaturization and integration during development of devices such as smart sensors and actuators, better-performing photocatalysts, and fast electrochromic devices. On the other hand, organized arrays of dispersed ferromagnetic or ferroelectric nanoparticles are promising materials for spintronics and for cheap, non-volatile 'flash' memories.

Crystallization↗