TECHNOLOGICAL POLYMORPHISM OF DISPERSE AMORPHOUS SILICAS - INELASTIC NEUTRON-SCATTERING AND COMPUTATIONAL MODELING

The results concerning the vibrational spectra for a set of commercial amorphous highly disperse silicas (aerosil, silica gel, and aerogel), studied in details by inelastic neutron scattering, are reviewed. The observed phenomenon of a technological polymorphism as well as quantum chemical modelling of the structure and vibrational spectra of the related polymorphic modifications are discussed.