Study of the surface chemical functionality of fused silica glass modified by electron beam processing

An electron beam treatment was proposed as an approach to the modification of fused silica surface. This processing technique was shown to provide an adjustable structural modification of silica surface and the control over its hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance. Electron beam irradiation allows the controllable change of the ratios between Si atoms bound to the surface with one, two or three Si-O bonds thus promoting the formation of acidic, neutral, and basic hydroxyl groups, respectively, as well as siloxane networks. Processing under the studied conditions affords the control of silica surface functional composition and the possibility to impart the internal surface of fused silica capillaries with the required chemical stability. The developed procedure is promising as a new approach to the modification of fused-silica capillaries, silica gel and microchips.