The effect of adding PDMS-OH and silica nanoparticles on sol–gel properties and effectiveness in stone protection
Abstract(#br)Inorganic–organic hybrid crack-free xerogels were obtained using di- n -butyltin dilaurate (DBTL) as a catalyst containing tetraethoxyorthosilicate (TEOS) and hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-OH) as an additive. We studied the effect of gelling time and sol pH on DBTL concentration. The xerogels’ structure was studied by FTIR, TGA–DTA and SEM techniques. The results showed that the catalyst (DBTL) would substantially shorten the gelling time of the sol. With the addition of PDMS-OH, the viscosity of the sol increased while the gel time decreased.