In this paper, three different alkalis namely ammonia (NH 4 OH), ethylenediamine (EDA), and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) are introduced in the colloidal silica to study the stability and pH is controlled in the range of 8-11. As a result, NH 4 OH greatly promotes the stability of silica sol at rst due to the strong solvation ability of NH 4 + and then the stability begins to decrease because the electric double layer of silica is compressed. The introduction of EDA leads to reducing the stability of silica system evidently followed by a slight increase, which can be explained by the cationic bridging effect of ethylenediammonium cations. Meanwhile, the effect of TBAOH on silica dispersion is analogous to EDA, mainly caused by the hydrophobic and steric effects. The abovementioned relevant stability mechanisms are involved in non-DLVO theory.