ABSTRACTSeveral mechanisms have been proposed for the growth of silica spheres by the controlled hydrolysis of silicon alkoxides, the limiting cases of which are the conventional and aggregative growth models. The evolution of surface area predicted from the two models is substantially different at early times into the reaction. In order to probe the change in surface area during growth, 1H NMR measurements of the solvent were made during the growth process. It has been demonstrated that the spin-spin relaxation time.(T2) for an absorbed phase is less than that of the bulk solvent. Using this principal, the change in surface area can be followed in situ during the reaction. The experimental results were compared to the predictions of the conventional model and found not to be in agreement.
Adsorbed Intermediates in Oxygen Reduction on Platinum Nanoparticles Observed by In Situ IR Spectroscopy