Vapor-phase synthesis of uniform silica spheres through two-stage hydrolysis of SiCl 4

• Published in: Materials research bulletin Vol. 43; no. 11; pp. 2833 - 2839
• Main Authors: Park, Hoey K., Park, Kyun Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2008
• Subjects: A. Oxides, A. Nanostructures, B. Chemical synthesis, B. Vapor deposition; A. Oxides, A. Nanostructures, B. Chemical synthesis, B. Vapor deposition
• ISSN: 0025-5408; 1873-4227
• DOI: 10.1016/j.materresbull.2008.01.003

We report, for the first time, a vapor-phase synthesis of nearly monodispersed silica spheres 250–300 nm in size through a two-stage hydrolysis of SiCl 4. In the first stage, SiCl 4 vapor was partially hydrolyzed with water vapor in a batch reactor at 150 °C to form silicon oxychloride particles, nearly monodispersed and spherical. In the second stage, these oxychloride particles were converted into silica particles through further hydrolysis at 1000 °C in a tubular reactor, while the morphology and size after the first-stage reaction remained virtually unchanged.