Reduced shrinkage of sol–gel derived silicas using sugar-based silsesquioxane precursors

Monolithic siliceous materials were prepared, using sol–gel based methods, from mixtures of trifunctional silanes based on sugar lactones, including silyl-modified gluconamide GLS and maltonamide MLS, and a tetrafunctional silane derived from glycerol. The tri- and tetrafunctional compounds cured at different rates, which led to an enhanced presence of sugar moieties at the external surface of the pores in the monoliths. The resulting silicas …