Characterization of diatomaceous silica by Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

The network characteristic of a selection of diatomaceous silica derived from China has been investigated using Raman spectroscopy. Before any thermal treatment of the sample, two prominent bands of 607 and circa 493 cm −1 are resolved in the Raman spectra of diatomaceous silica, corresponding to the (SiO) 3-ring breathing mode of D 2-line and the O 3SiOH tetrahedral vibration mode of D 1-line, respectively. This is more similar to the pyrogenic silica rather than the silica gel. For the latter, to obtain a (SiO) 3-ring, the sample must be heated between 250 and 450 °C. Significant difference is also found between the diatomaceous silica and other natural silicas, e.g. in the Raman spectra of sedimentary and volcanic opals, neither D 1 nor D 2 band is detected in previous reports.