Comparative Study of Surface Acid-Base Properties of SiO2 and Al2O3 Nanoparticles Prepared by Different Methods

A comparative study of surface acid-base properties is performed for silica and alumina nanoparticles prepared by different methods, including liquid phase syntheses, plasma-chemical methods and electric explosion. According to the data of IR-spectroscopy and dynamic pH-metry, surface characteristics, particularly the predominance of certain centers, such as acidic or basic Lewis or Bronsted sites, significantly vary for samples with the same chemical and phase composition depending on the applied synthetic procedure. The obtained results demonstrate a possibility to adjust the functional composition of the surface of disperse nanosized materials and importance of the study of its acid-base (donor-acceptor) properties responsible for the interaction with the environment and other materials.