Abstract
We investigated behavior of phase separation in a system with silicate and poly(vinylalchol) (PVA). Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), colloidal silica and water glass were used as silica sources. Silica gel samples were prepared by mixing one of the silica sources and aqueous nitric acid solution containing PVA with vigorous stirring. Only in a system with water glass, phase separation could be induced, so that white opaque gels with macropores were prepared. In this system, macromorphology and size of domain varied by stating composition. These features imply that phase separation in the system with silicate and PVA proceeds into a phase rich in silica and polymer and that rich in solvent.
