2014 Volume 47 Issue 2 Pages 165-168
Silica sols can be continuously produced by the neutralization of sodium silicate with sulfuric acid using a Y-shaped reactor. The viscosity of the produced silica sols gradually increases, and gels are finally formed through the sol–gel transition. The gelation properties are significantly affected by the preparation conditions. Here we examined the effect of the dilution of silica sols by water in terms of the gelation properties of the silica sols and gels, using both dynamic viscoelasticity measurement and the creep test. Information that is needed to control the gelation properties of silica sols and gels for making silica materials into a product is also presented.