Silanieren
Silanieren is a chemical process used to modify the surface of materials, typically inorganic solids like glass, silica, and metals, by attaching silane compounds. These silane compounds have a general structure R-Si(OR')3, where R is an organic functional group and OR' is a hydrolyzable alkoxy group. During the silanieren process, the alkoxy groups hydrolyze in the presence of water to form reactive silanol groups (-Si-OH). These silanol groups can then condense with hydroxyl groups present on the surface of the inorganic material, forming strong covalent Si-O-Si bonds. Alternatively, silanol groups can condense with each other to form a siloxane network.
The organic functional group R on the silane molecule is chosen based on the desired surface modification.