Surface polymorphism of silica nanoparticles

Abstract
A comparative study was performed on the surface properties of silica nanoparticles synthesized by various methods using FTIR, UV-Vis DRS and X-ray diffraction. It is shown that different methods of synthesis affect the surface properties of nanoparticles while maintaining the phase composition of the material. It is also shown that the nanoparticles of each material have unexpected properties. In particular, a significant difference was observed in the concentration of Lewis centres for the samples. This variation in properties indicates the importance of accurately characterizing the surface properties of nanoparticles as they determine the interactions of nanoparticles with other materials.