Simultaneous Monitoring of Macroscopic and Microscopic Diffusion of Guest Molecules in Silica and Organosilica Aerogels by Spatially and Time-Resolved Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Abstract

We used spatially and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to study diffusion of guest molecules within solvent filled aerogel monoliths. We experimentally obtained the time-dependent spin density of EPR active guest molecules ρ_1d(y,t), numerically solved the diffusion equation to simulate ρ_1d(y,t), and determined the macroscopic translational diffusion coefficients for different aerogels and guest molecules. Simultaneously, we determined the microscopic diffusion coefficient by spectral simulation. We show that diffusion in the aerogels under study is dominated by the tortuosity of the pore system but not by surface effects.