Characterization of silica gels by infrared reflection spectroscopy

The FTIR specular reflection spectra of porous silica gels, either dried at room temperature or subjected to partial densification at 400°C, are significantly different from the spectrum of bulk vitreous silica. Namely, the high frequency SiOSi stretching vibrational peak near 1100 cm^-1 exhibits shifts in the gels of up to 40 cm^-1 towards lower frequencies, whereas the relative intensity of the companion high frequency shoulder simultaneously increases. The origin and possible structural meaning of the observed changes were investigated by Kramers-Kronig analysis of the experimental near-normal infrared reflectivity spectra of a series of silica xerogels, porous Vycor and bulk vitreous silica. Major differences were found for the energy loss function Im(-1/ε{lunate}^*), the peaks of which have been associated with the LO components of the dominant vibrational modes, and the largest red shifts corresponded to the highest frequency mode. Simple calculations show that the observed behavior of the infrared spectra could in part be due to a certain degree of strain in the SiOSi bridging bonds at the surface of the gel pores.