Bare and Effective Charge of Mesoporous Silica Particles

We develop and combine a novel numerical model, within the Poisson-Boltzmann framework, with classical experimental titration techniques for mesoporous silica particles to study the charging behavior as both pH and the amount of monovalent salt are varied. One key finding is that these particles can be considered to have an effectively or apparent electroneutral inner core with an effectively charged rim. As a consequence, the total apparent charge of the particle is several orders of magnitude smaller than that of the bare silica charge, which accounts only for the charged silanol groups of the mesoporous silica particles and which has its major contribution from the interior. Hence, the interior dictates the mesoporous silicas' bare charge while the rim its effective charge. We furthermore report density, charge, and accumulated charge profiles across the particle's interface.