Fabrication of Snporphyrin-Imbedded Silica Aerogel Composite

Optoelectronic functional composite materials with porous structures are of great importance in various fields. A hybrid composite (SnP@SiA) composed of (trans-dihydroxo)(5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)tin(IV) (SnP) in silica aerogel (SiA) was successfully fabricated through the reaction of SnP with silanol groups of SiA in the presence of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS). SnP@SiA was then characterized using various instrumental techniques. The zeta potential for SnP@SiA (−11.62 mV) was found to be less negative than that for SiA (−18.26 mV), indicating that the surface of SnP@SiA is covered by hydrophobic species such as SnP and trimethylsilyl groups. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, pore volume, and average pore size of SnP@SiA are 697.07 m[sup.2]/g, 1.69 cm[sup.3]/g, and 8.45 nm, respectively, making it a suitable composite for catalytic applications. SnP@SiA, a photocatalyst with high porosity and a large surface area, yields promising performance in the photodegradation of acid orange 7 (AO7) under visible light irradiation in aqueous solution. This hybrid composite exhibited the desirable properties of aerogels along with the photoelectronic features of porphyrins. Therefore, this porphyrin-imbedded mesoporous material has valuable potential in various applications such as photocatalysis, light energy conversion, biochemical sensors, and gas storage.