If you Titanium Tetraisopropoxide in nano silica synthesis, we are getting gellation We do not know how to avoid it. With out this Ti source we are not getting the problem. We are interested in precipitate suspension. That can be centrifuged out. Due to gellation, the original property of the precipitate is lost.
One can try with less Ti source or change in solvent, some time may help.
Usually working with the pH of your solution should solve the problem : depending on the pH you will get gellation (acidic conditions) or precipitation (neutral or less acidic). You could also dilute your titanium isopropoxide in absolute ethanol prior to add the aqueous source.
These references may be of help:
The effect of temperature and alcohols in the preparation of TiO2 nanoparticles from alkoxides. J. Am. Cer. Soc., 81(11):2815–2820, 1998.
Reversible agglomeration: A kinetic model for the peptization of titania nanocolloids. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 214(2):283–291, 1999.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jcis.1999.6218
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1151-2916.1998.tb02701.x
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