Influence of specific surface area of pyrogenic silicas on their heat of immersion in water and on their surface properties assessed using inverse gas chromatography

New Methodology to Study the Dispersive Component of the Surface Energy and Acid-Base Properties of Silica Particles by Inverse Gas Chromatography at Infinite Dilution

A new methodology was proposed to determine the dispersive component of the surface energy ${\gamma}_s^d$ of a solid taking into account the effect of the temperature on the surface area of n-alkanes, methylene group (${a}_{- CH2-}$) and polar molecules, thus defeating the method used by Dorris-Gray Schultz et al. We determined the correct ${\gamma}_s^d$ of the surface energy, the specific free energy, enthalpy and entropy of adsorption of polar molecules as well as the acid base constants of silica particles with an excellent accuracy. We confirmed the dependence of the dispersive component of the surface energy on the variations of the surface areas of organic molecules used in IGC technique at infinite dilution. The specific properties of interactions of silica particles were determined. The new proposed model took into account this thermal effect. Obtained results proved that the other used IGC methods gave inaccurate values of the specific parameters of silica surface, except for the vapor pressure method that led to excellent results of the specific free energy, enthalpy and entropy of adsorption, and the acid-base constants of the silica particles.

Inverse gas chromatography applications: a review

Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) is a versatile, powerful, sensitive and relatively fast technique for characterizing the physicochemical properties of materials. Due to its applicability in determining surface properties of solids in any form such as films, fibres and powders of both crystalline and amorphous structures, IGC became a popular technique for surface characterization, used extensively soon after its development. One of the most appealing features of IGC that led to its popularity among analytical scientists in early years was its similarity in principle to analytical gas chromatography (GC). The main aspect which distinguishes IGC experiments from conventional GC is the role of mobile and stationary phases. Contrary to conventional GC, the material under investigation is placed in the chromatographic column and a known probe vapour is used to provide information on the surface. In this review, information concerning the history, instrumentation and applications is discussed. Examples of the many experiments developed for IGC method are selected and described. Materials that have been analysed include polymers, pharmaceuticals, minerals, surfactants, and nanomaterials. The properties that can be determined using the IGC technique include enthalpy and entropy of sorption, surface energy (dispersive and specific components), work of co/adhesion, miscibility and solubility parameters, surface heterogeneity, glass transition temperature, and specific surface area.