Method for Determining the Particle Size of Silica Sol
Release date:
2026-01-24
Silica sol is a dispersion of nano-sized silicon dioxide, consisting primarily of nano-sized silicon dioxide particles and a dispersing medium. The particle size of silica sol is one of the key indicators affecting its performance. Currently, the particle sizes of silica sol available on the market range approximately from 5 nm to 130 nm. Zhenghe Energy can provide silica sol with an even wider particle-size range, better uniformity, and greater stability.
Silica sol is a dispersion of nano-sized silicon dioxide, consisting primarily of nano-sized silicon dioxide particles and a dispersing medium. The particle size of silica sol is one of the key indicators affecting its performance. Currently, the particle sizes of silica sol available on the market range approximately from 5 nm to 130 nm. Zhenghe Energy can provide silica sol with an even wider particle-size range, better uniformity, and greater stability.
Titration method
- Principle: The silica sol particles’ silanol groups on their surface react with a standard sodium hydroxide solution. By calculating the amount of base consumed, the particle size can be determined.
- Features: Simple operation, suitable for the rapid detection of silica sols with particle sizes ranging from 5 to 20 nm; however, accuracy decreases when the particle size exceeds 20 nm.
Laser Particle Size Analysis Method
- Principle: Analyze particle size distribution based on the principles of light diffraction or scattering.
- Features: Fast and highly repeatable, suitable for particle size measurement in the 5–100 nm range. There are differences among instruments from different brands; therefore, be sure to use them only after calibration.
- Limitations: Small particle size measurements tend to be overestimated, while larger particle sizes are more likely to be accurate.
Electron microscopy (TEM/CEM)
- Principle: Directly observe the particle morphology and size.
- Features: High precision, relatively time-consuming, suitable for scientific research or scenarios with high precision requirements.
The particle size results obtained by the above-mentioned methods when measuring the same silica sol sample are inconsistent. The titration method is relatively accurate within the range of 6–20 nm, and its results are close to those obtained by TEM. However, once the particle size of the silica sol exceeds 20 nm, significant discrepancies arise between the titration results and the TEM results. As the particle size of the silica sol increases, the accuracy of the titration method progressively declines. In contrast to the titration method, the laser particle size analyzer exhibits opposite measurement biases: when the particle size of the silica sol is relatively small (e.g., less than 30 nm), the laser particle size analyzer tends to overestimate the particle size. As the particle size of the silica sol grows larger, the measurement results from the laser particle size analyzer become increasingly accurate, and when the particle size reaches above 100 nm, the results from the laser particle size analyzer closely match those obtained by TEM.
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