Hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating of mesoporous silica and its use as a preconcentrating agent of gas analytes. 
Mesoporous silica with mean pore size of ∼14 nm was coated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using a thermal deposition method.  We showed that the inner walls of pores larger than ∼8 nm can be coated by thin layers of PDMS, and the surfaces consisting of PDMS-coated silica were superhydrophobic, with water contact angles close to 170°.  We used the PDMS-coated silica as adsorbents of various gas-phase chemical warfare agent (CWA) simulants.  PDMS-coated silica allowed molecular desorption of various CWA simulants even after exposure under highly humid conditions and, therefore, is applicable as an agent for the preconcentration of gas-phase analytes to enhance the sensitivities of various sensors.