Selective hydrophobic derivatization on the surface of helical silica nanotubes

Abstract The chiral 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine derivative that is capable of spontaneous self-assembly was employed as an organogel template to produce a helical mesoporous silica nanotube containing gelators therein by following sol-gel polycondensation of TEOS. The synthesis enabled the successful introduction of the hydrocarbon of octyl silane (hydrophobic functional group) onto the outer surface of the silica nanotube while preserving the hydrophilic silanol (Si OH) group on internal surface of silica nanotube free from the gelators. This synthetic condition consists of a pre-stage of the introduction of a hydrophobic hydrocarbon functional group onto the outer surface of the silica nanotube selectively, and the post-stage washing of the gelators was presented together with a method analyzing the actions of organogels in the respective experimental processes.