Colloidal Silica

It works as an inorganic binder and surface modifier. In investment casting it binds refractory shells; on concrete and stone it reacts and densifies the surface; in coatings it contributes hardness, adhesion and anti-slip behaviour; in polishing it provides a controlled, fine abrasive phase; and in paper and textile processing it modifies retention and friction. Suitability for a specific system is established by trial, because gelling behaviour depends on everything else in the formulation.

Particle size and the silica content of the dispersion set film formation, penetration and binding behaviour; the stabilisation system and pH set what the sol can be mixed with without gelling. State the substrate or system, what the sol has to bind or modify, the process temperature and drying route, and whether the formulation it enters is acidic, alkaline or carries salts or organics.

Fumed silica, precipitated silica, silica gel, silica flour and diatomaceous earth are all separate materials with their own canonical pages on this catalogue, and silica fume (microsilica) is a different material again despite the similar name. Colloidal silica is distinguished by being supplied as a stable liquid dispersion of discrete particles rather than as a dried, aggregated or porous powder. Concentration, particle size and stabilisation type are grade dimensions handled inside this record and are never published as separate pages.

Suppliers report particle size in different conventions — mesh, percentage passing a stated mesh, micron top cut, or D50 from a named measurement method — and the numbers are not interchangeable between conventions. State the convention your specification uses, along with the property window you actually need, and comparison is made like for like. Moisture, pH, bulk density, swelling behaviour, heavy metals and any documentation requirement are reviewed the same way, against producer data for the grade offered.

This page asserts no purity, assay, mesh, micron, D50, brightness, swelling capacity, moisture, pH, bulk density, surface area, heavy-metal limit, origin, mine, packing, minimum quantity, certification, approval, availability, lead time or price. Every commercially meaningful value is taken from producer documentation for the exact grade offered and confirmed in writing before order.

Allzone sources this material through producer channels and quotes it per enquiry. Origin, mining location and processing location are selected against your technical requirement, quantity, documentation need and destination, and are stated in the offer rather than fixed by this page. Mineral powders have low value density, so freight, discharge point and packaging format move landed cost as much as the material price; quotations are compared delivered to your plant.

Technical data sheet, safety data sheet and certificate of analysis for the exact grade offered are requested from the producer and shared with the quotation. Mineral powders create airborne dust during transfer and bagging, and respirable crystalline silica content varies by material and by grade, so it is treated as an SDS and workplace-controls question for the specific grade rather than a figure published here. Where a declaration matters to your application — food contact, feed, potable water, cosmetic or regulatory — it is confirmed for that grade and intended use rather than assumed from this page.

Send the material or system it goes into, the process it runs on, the function you need it to perform, the property window your specification calls for in your own convention, the annual and per-shipment quantity, the packaging format your intake can receive, the documentation required per shipment and the delivery province or port. Several materials can be listed in one enquiry and reviewed together rather than split into separate requests.