The effect of preparation procedure and composition of water-ethanol suspensions of amorphous silica on their aggregative stability and kinetics of coagulation

The method of flow ultramicroscopy is employed to study the effect of the composition and preparation procedure of dilute water-ethanol suspensions of two samples of amorphous silica (fractionated fused quartz and monodisperse amorphous silica) on the kinetics of their coagulation. It is revealed that all suspensions prepared by the addition of silica powders to water-ethanol mixtures with ethanol contents of 96 and 40 vol % are stable with respect to aggregation, as the suspensions prepared by the addition of aliquots of concentrated dispersions of the aforementioned silica samples in 96% ethanol aged for different time periods to water-ethanol mixtures containing 96 vol % ethanol. At a 40-vol % content of ethanol in the mixture, the coagulation whose character (including “superfast” coagulation) substantially depends on the time of aging of initial concentrated silica dispersions occurs. Furthermore, kinetic studies are performed for the coagulation of dilute silica suspensions prepared by the addition of silica powders to water-ethanol solutions containing 40 vol % of ethanol and traces (<1 ppm) of poly(ethoxysilane), poly(acrylic acid), and a supernatant prepared by the centrifugation of concentrated silica dispersion in 96% ethanol aged for more than 3 months. It is found that the addition of aliquots of the aforementioned ethanol solutions to silica suspensions in 40% ethanol, which are initially stable with respect to aggregation, causes their superfast coagulation.