Surface modification of sub-micron spherical SiO2 particles with butanedioic acid for electrophoresis in tetrachloroethylene

Sub-micron spherical SiO2 particles were prepared by co-precipitation process, and further surface modification of the SiO2 particles by butanedioic acid (BA) for charging and electrophoresis in tetrachloroethylene was attempted. The obtained composites were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectra (FTIR), X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Zetasizer. FTIR and XPS results indicate that the chemical bonding by esterification between BA and SiO2 particles was achieved. SEM measurement shows that the modified SiO2 particles are spherical and about 250 nm and are dispersed into tetrachloroethylene stably. Zetasizer results reveal that the Zeta potential of the modified SiO2 particles in tetrachloroethylene medium was − 27.84 mv, which was much higher than that of the unmodified SiO2 particles.