Journal of Materials Science, Vol.42, No.20, 8517-8522, 2007
Formation of submicron of periodic structure in high-clean suspensions
Experimental studies have revealed a dependence of the dimension and texture of supramolecular crystals in clean suspensions (the concentration of inorganic admixtures in dry conglomerates less than 0.4 x10(-4) wt.%) on the width of the counter-ion layer around the submicron spherical silica particles. At pH = 7-10, the pinching-out upward of the 0.5 mm narrow crystals is determined by the interaction of the crystal structural units, which present elongated dipoles due to a great width of the counter-ion layers (chi r = 2.5). At pH < 7, the enlargement of the crystals to 3 mm and the absence of the crystals pinching-out upward is reached by the narrowing of the counter-ion layer (chi r = 17.6) and, as a result, a decrease of the dipole elongation of the crystal structural units.