Chang, Han Kwon;Lee, Jin Woo;Oh, Kyoung Joon;Jang, Hee Dong;Kil, Dae Sup;Choi, Jeong Woo
89
Spherical mesoporous silica particles, of which main pore diameter was 3.8 nm, were successfully prepared by spray pyrolysis from aqueous silicic acid. The effect of precursor concentration, reaction temperature, and the addition of urea and PEG on the particle diameter and pore properties such as pore diameter, total pore volume, and specific surface area were investigated by using FE-SEM, particle size analyzer, and nitrogen absorption-desorption analysis. With an increase of the precursor concentration from 0.2 M to 0.7 M, the average particle diameter, total pore volume, and specific surface area of the porous silica particles increased from 0.56 to $0.96\;{\mu}m$, 0.434 to $0.486\;cm^3/g$, 467.8 to $610.4\;m^2/g$, respectively. Within the temperature range $(600\;^{\circ}C{\sim}800\;^{\circ}C)$, there was no significant difference in the pore diameter, total pore volume, and specific surface area. In addition, the addition of urea as an expansion aid led to slight increases in particle diameter, pore diameter, and specific surface area. However, when the polyethylene glycol (PEG) as an organic template was used, the total pore volume of porous particles increased dramatically.