International Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

International Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Investigating the Morphological and Functional Group Characteristics of Sol-Gel Synthesized Silica Nanoparticles Derived from Natural and Commercial Precursors

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Syukur Daulay 1
Akhmad Herman Yuwono 1
Gusaimas Akbar 1
Donanta Dhaneswara 1
Nofrijon Sofyan 1
Bambang Heru Susanto 2
Agus Ismail 3
1 Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering-Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia, Depok, West Java, Indonesia.
2 Department of Chemical Engineering-Faculty of Engineering Universitas Indonesia, Depok, West Java, Indonesia.
3 Program Studi Teknik Industri Universitas Mercu Buana, Jakarta, Indonesia
10.22034/ijnn.2026.2053759.2634
Abstract
Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) are widely investigated in science and largely used in various strategic applications. Due to the abundant source of silica in the beach, there is a necessity to obtain naturally derived SNPs comparable with those synthesized from commercial precursors. Therefore, this research aimed to effectiveness of sol-gel method to produce sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) by mixing silica sand with sodium hydroxide and neutralizing using the concentrated hydrochloric solution. SNPs were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). For comparison purposes, the sol-gel process was also carried out with commercial sodium silicate and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) precursors to obtain synthetic SNPs, while the fabricated SNPs were used as the standard. The result showed that the synthetic and fabricated had a typical peak for silica at a wave number of 950 cm-1. Phase characterization showed the characteristics of silica nanoparticles at a 2θ angle of 22°, and silica crystal peaks were still visible in the synthesis of SNPC600 and SNPN600. Crystallite size calculation obtained 19.84, 4.40, 4.31, and 2.94 nm for SNPN600, SNPC600, SNPTEHN600, and XFNANO, respectively. Microstructural analysis showed a uniform distribution of particles in SNPN600 and SNPTEHN600, along with an inhomogeneous distribution in SNPC600.
Keywords
Silica Nanoparticles
Synthesis
Commercial Precursors
Natural Precursors
Subjects
 
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International Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Volume 21, Issue 2
Spring 2025
Pages 77-87