Raman Spectra of Rings in Silicate Materials

Abstract

Raman spectroscopic studies on gel-derived silicates have confirmed that narrow bands near 607 cm-1 and 492 cm-1, first observed in the Raman spectrum of fused silica, are associated with three- and four-fold siloxane rings. Using these results, we have identified three- and four-fold siloxane rings in other high-surface-area silica materials, including leached glasses and Cab-OSil. This Raman spectroscopic evidence not only shows that small siloxane rings are a common characteristic of a number of silica materials but also suggests that they form preferentially at silica surfaces. This paper reviews the Raman spectroscopic evidence that led to the identification of the vibrational frequencies of the small siloxane rings and presents the results of Raman experiments on high-surface-area silica materials in which the concentration of small siloxane rings is enhanced compared to fused silica.