Probing the nature and the structure of dense gel in porous silica

Porous silica gel and glass were prepared through sol-gel process from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The nature and structure of dense gel were studied by means of TEM and Nitrogen Adsorption-deadsorption method. The porous property of gel can be achieved by measuring the pore size distribution. Nucleation and growth of primary gel particles were observed by TEM. Various gel structure were obtained by adding different kinds of catalysts. In accordance with the changing of the gel structure, the porous properties of gels were achieved by measuring the pore size distribution.