Granulometric activation of densified silica fume (CSF) by sonication

A sonication process was developed by means of which the deagglomeration of the particles of commercial densified silica fume (CSF) was achieved: an increase in the amount of submicrometric particles was obtained, which finally yielded a larger specific surface area. Sonicated silica fume (SSF) (prepared with an ultrasound probe, working in a water/silica fume suspension) was obtained starting from different tests in which parameters such as treating time and power level of sonication were varied. After sonication treatment, the commercial CSF (with 59.64 μm mean particle diameter) was converted to samples with mean particle diameter of about 5 μm, with an increase of the volume percentage of particles with diameter lower than 1 μm (more than 50%). With a longer sonication time and higher sonication power level it was possible to obtain a greater quantity of submicrometric particles. A threshold power level was identified below which the sonication process was not effective