Colloidal particles of silica (100 nm in size) were electrostatically dispersed and adsorbed on a glass substrate coated with silica sol or alumina sol. Stability of the suspensions and microstructure of the adsorbed particle layers were discussed in terms of total potential energies between the particles and the substrate. Well-dispersed suspension resulted in a layer with densely packed and regularly arranged particles, whereas less stable suspension resulted in a porous layer with loosely packed and irregularly arranged particles. Despite repulsive interactions between the particles and the substrate coated with silica sol, the observed adsorption can be attributed to chemical bonds formed at the interface between the particle and silica sol. In contrast, the adsorption of the particles on the substrate coated with alumina sol formed a layer with strongly adhered and densely packed particles, due to large attractive interactions between the particles and alumina sol.