Determination of particle size in aqueous suspensions of hydrogels of iron(III), indium(III), aluminum, chromium(III), titanium(IV), and zirconium(IV) oxohydroxides

Dispersion of hydrogels of Fe^III, In^III, Al^III, Cr^III, Ti^IV, and Zr^IV oxohydroxides in an aqueous medium was studied by sedimentation analysis. The hydrogel dispersion depends on the metal nature, pH of precipitation, and suspension concentration. The systems are predominantly polydisperse, and the gel particle size ranges from 2 to 140 μm. The data obtained suggest that the gel particles are formed by three-dimensional networks consisting of polymeric chains metal-oxygen and contain cavities filled with water. __________ Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1083–1088, May, 2005.