Environmental Method for Synthesizing Amorphous Silica Oxide Nanoparticles from a Natural Material

Vahid Zarei,Alireza Nasiri,Afshin Davarpanah,Mojtaba Mirzaasadi,Majid Valizadeh,Mohammad Javad Sarbaz Hosseini

doi:10.3390/pr9020334

Abstract

Numerous studies have been performed on the generation of several silicon-based engineering materials that often have used chemical materials that have high risks for health and the safety of the environment. Generally, in the synthesis of Nano-silica, tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) are used as precursor materials; however, these materials are toxic and expensive for the production of Nano-silica. This paper presents an environmentally friendly short method (EFSM) with high efficiency for the synthesis of amorphous silica oxide Nanoparticles by using agricultural waste called rice husks (RHs). Use of the EFSM method as an alternative to the chemical methods would have the advantages of fast and simple operation, controllability, great pureness of the Nanoparticles, and low manufacturing cost. A Nanoparticles (NPs) evaluation was conducted with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF). By applying the EFSM method, non-toxic amorphous silica nanoparticles with a purity of 94.5% and particle size less than 100 nm was synthesized without using any chemical material.

Highlights

For the synthesis of silica-based materials and its application in various industries, there are different methods utilized, such as the sol-gel method [1,2,3,4], chemical vapor deposition phase (CVD) [5], micro-emulsion process [6], combustion synthesis [7], and microwave method [8]
The field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) instrument model MIRA3-TESCAN-XMU was used to study the morphology of the NPs synthesized
By using energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) determined the composition of the synthesized Nanoparticle

Summary

Introduction

For the synthesis of silica-based materials and its application in various industries, there are different methods utilized, such as the sol-gel method [1,2,3,4], chemical vapor deposition phase (CVD) [5], micro-emulsion process [6], combustion synthesis [7], and microwave method [8]. Most of these techniques are complicated, and too much energy and time will be consumed for production. The benefits of this method are its availability, the low cost of plant materials, the elimination of chemical substances and the reduction of energy consumption [16]

Methods

Results

Conclusion