A simple template-free sol–gel synthesis of spherical nanosilica from agricultural biomass

Abstract

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a spherical morphology have been synthesized from rice husk (agricultural biomass) by a simple, template-free synthetic approach, which was carried out via sol–gel technique at ambient condition. Transmission electron micrographs revealed the formation of spherical silica nanoparticles with an average diameter of 50.9 nm. From the nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis, the rice husk silica shows a high specific BET surface area of 245 m2 g−1. The silica nanoparticles have a narrow pore size distribution of 5.6–9.6 nm.