Dried hybrid imogolite nanotubes as solids with a changeable surface area: an insight into textural properties based on the correlation between nitrogen gas adsorption, immersion calorimetry into water, and small angle X-ray scattering.

Powdered samples of three imogolite materials with an inner surface covered with Si-CH groups (hybrid IMO-CH) were prepared by ambient drying at 323 K, freeze drying, and spray drying. Reliable estimates of the intra-tube (), inter-tube (), and inter-bundle () specific surface areas of these samples were inferred from a model-guided correlation between the results of measurements by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), nitrogen gas adsorption, and immersion calorimetry into water. Since the SAXS studies indicated no significant deformations of IMO-CH nanotubes upon drying, further studies by gaseous N adsorption at 77 K indicated the intra-tube and inter-bundle specific surface areas as being only accessible to this adsorbate.

Hydrophobic dye solubilization hybrid imogolite nanotubes probed using second harmonic scattering.

This article explores the organization and interactions of Disperse Orange 3 (DO3) hydrophobic dye molecules within hybrid organic-inorganic imogolite nanotubes. In pure water, the DO3 dye molecules self assemble into large insoluble 2D nanosheets whose structure is also explored by molecular dynamics simulations. The dye molecules are however efficiently solubilized in the presence of hybrid imogolite nanotubes.