Oxide gels: applications in chromatography and investigations of structure by neutron scattering
The surface and porous properties of oxide gels which are produced in sol-gel processes are determined by the colloid characteristics of the sols. These characteristics include the particle size, shape and aggregate structure of the sols and their interparticle interaction behaviour. With this insight of sol-gel conversion mechanisms, gels with well defined pore structure have been produced. These have been exploited in high performance gel permeation chromatography for example. Neutron scattering techniques have been important in establishing the mechanism of sol-gel conversion processes and for obtaining insight into the properties of water in gels with different pore structure.