Optimization of Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles Synthesis from Rice Straw Ash Using Design of Experiments Technique

In this study, a chemical method of dissolution-precipitation was applied to produce amorphous silica nanoparticles from rice straw ash (RSA; the waste material of rice cultivation. The morphology, particle size, structure, and area of specific surface of synthesized amorphous silica nanoparticles were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and BET method to measure the specific surface area of materials. In addition, chemical composition of RSA used and the synthesized silica nanoparticles was studied by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. The atomic concentration of synthesized silica was determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effects of sodium hydroxide concentration, precipitation reaction temperature, and precipitation reaction duration on the area of specific surface were determined through design of experiments (DOE) technique. Results depicted that silica nanoparticles with particle size of 10-15nm were successfully synthesized. Average area of specific surface and purity were 327m2/gr and 99.5%, respectively. The interactive influence of temperature and duration had the highest effect on the average area of specific surface.