Particle growth, aggregation and gelation of silicas

Silica syntheses have performed by acidification of water glass under various reaction conditions and analysed bmeans of SAXS method. SAXS spectra recorded during simultaneous dosing of water glass and sulpharic acid have shown clearly that primery SiO2 particles grow continously and rapidly during the precipitation. In addition, the primery particles have a rather narrow size distribution, what is suprising result, since the particles are continuously involved in a number of processes: growing, forming interparticle bonds and aging.