Adsorption properties of silica sols modified with thiol groups

Abstract

The surfaces of silica particles, prepared by the sol–gel method, were chemically modified with thiol groups to change the adsorption properties of the metal ions. The flocculation kinetics of silica sols, with and without the thiol groups, were measured in presence of various metal ions in alcoholic solution by monitoring their growth with time using dynamic light scattering. The flocculation experiments were carried out by adding small amounts of metal ions until a critical flocculation concentration was reached. The amounts of metal ions adsorbed on the surface of silica and thiol-modified silica particles were determined by using atomic absorption. The flocculation process was improved when the silica surface was modified with thiol groups. The silica particles were observed with transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infra-red and Raman spectroscopy.