Synthesis and characterization of aluminum particles coated with uniform silica shell

The silica coated aluminum composite particles were prepared by hydrolysis–condensation polymerization of tetraethylorthosilicate(TEOS) on the surface of aluminum particle. The structure, morphology, and properties of the silica coated aluminum were studied. The peaks of Si—O—Si are presented in the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum of the composite particles. The thickness of the silica shell is about 80 nm according to the results of transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and laser particle size analysis, while the mean diameter of the aluminum particle is 7.13 μm. The mass fraction of silica in the sample was determined by fluorescent X-ray spectrometry(XRF). Result of the thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) indicates that thermal stability of silica coated aluminum particles is better than that of pure aluminum particles at low temperature while more reactive at high temperature.