Phase separation in methylsiloxane sol-gel systems in a small confined space

The organo-siloxane gel with co-continuous structure derived from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) was synthesized in a confined space between parallel plates by inducing spinodal decomposition during sol-gel transition. The resultant gel morphology was 3-dimensionally observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The sliced LSCM photographs revealed that the confined gels have inhomogeneity perpendicular to the plate, exhibiting a layered structure. The layered structure can be divided into three regions according to their morphology; interface, near-surface layer, bulk phase. The organo-siloxane depletion layer had formed in the vicinity of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic plates, and the bulk phase had formed slight away from the plates exhibited co-continuous structure. In addition, the confined gels exhibited no shrinkage during drying process that resulted in the larger domain size compared to the monolithic gel. The attractive interaction between the plates and the resultant organo-siloxane phase accounts for the inhibition of shrinkage of confined gels.