The present invention provides a boron-containing silica dispersion having better dispersion stability at a high concentration, and higher binding properties between boron and silica than conventional dispersions. The present invention is a boron-containing silica dispersion containing amorphous silica particles containing boron atoms and a dispersion medium; the boron-containing amorphous silica particles having an average particle size of 10 to 100 nm, as determined from 40 particles selected at random in a transmission electron micrograph; the boron-containing silica dispersion having a solids content of 5 to 30 mass %; and the boron-containing silica dispersion having a sedimentation rate of the particles of 4% or less, when the boron-containing silica dispersion is left standing for 1000 hours, and proportions of SiO.sub.2 and B.sub.2O.sub.3 of 90.0 to 99.8 mass % and 0.2 to 10.0 mass %, respectively, in 100 mass % of a total of SiO.sub.2 and B.sub.2O.sub.3, all terms of oxide, when the boron-containing silica dispersion is subjected to ultrafiltration by the following method and dried; <Ultrafiltration method> washing is performed by sequentially adding pure water in an amount of 6 times the volume of the boron-containing silica dispersion at a flow rate of a liquid fed of 3660 ml/minute using an ultrafiltration membrane with a fraction molecular weight of 13,000.

The present application relates to a method for producing silica particles, and to the silica particles produced by such method. The present application further relates to compositions comprising the silica particles produced by such method as well as to uses of such silica particles and compositions comprising such silica particles.

[Problem] To provide a method for producing a colloidal crystal, wherein the method is easily controlled and is capable of dealing with a wide range of types of colloidal particle. [Solution] The method for producing a colloidal crystal in the present invention is characterized by comprising a preparation step of preparing a colloidal dispersion liquid, in which colloidal particles are dispersed in a liquid comprising an ionic surfactant and a colloidal crystal can be formed due to temperature changes, and a crystallization step of formation of a colloidal crystal by changing the temperature of the colloidal dispersion liquid from a temperature region in which the colloidal crystal is not formed to a temperature region in which the colloidal crystal is formed.

A colloidal sol and a method of making colloidal sol that is capable of controlling the resulting particle size and more specifically, using a potassium hydroxide process to obtain a colloidal sol having a single peak of average particle sizes.