Some features of internal structure of monodisperse spherical silica particles

We studied the deposition rate of monodisperse spherical silica particles and the volume of the supramolecular structure formed by them, which, together with the data on particle sizes and the amount of initial silica in the system, allowed calculating the real density of spherical particles. The obtained data indicated a significant number of voids in the structure of the particle, the volumetric values of which are within 30 %. The nitrogen surface sorption method determined the specific surface area for supramolecular structures consisting of spherical silica particles of different sizes, from which the estimated particle sizes were calculated. The comparison of the obtained results with data determined by scanning electron, atomic force microscopy and dynamic light scattering showed that spherical particles had a surface area 30 % higher than the calculated one, which indicated the complex structure of silica particles and the presence of a system of hidden pores and voids. We interpreted the data taking into account the assumption of the hierarchical nature of the structure of spherical silica particles.