A facile approach to synthesis of silica nanoparticles from silica sand and their application as superhydrophobic material

Abstract

We present a facile method to produce silica nanoparticles as a superhydrophobic material which has been successfully synthesized by mechanical milling and the sol-gel method. The powder obtained was characterized using scanning electronic microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, particle size distribution, and zeta potential. The effects of alcohol solvents on synthesis, such as on particle size, particle size distribution, and zeta potential, were examined thoroughly. To evaluate the surface modification of silica nanoparticles from hydrophilic to hydrophobic properties, IR spectra was applied. Surface modification was conducted prior to the evaluation of the superhydrophobic properties of silica nanoparticles on the glass substrate. In this study, silica nanoparticles in the ethanol solvent achieved optimum results with a particle size of 170.3 ± 14.3 nm and the highest zeta potential of −50.4 ± 0.3 mV, which is the best superhydrophobic effect on the glass substrate. In addition, the superhydrophobic effect of the silica nanoparticles was also applied to the bitumen, as both coating and mixing with the water contact angle was increased to 149.2° and 148.1° compared to the bitumen without silica nanoparticles. Due to their simplicity and low-cost, modified silica nanoparticles show great potential for industrial applications as superhydrophobic material on the bitumen.

Large-Scale Synthesis of Nanosilica from Silica Sand for Plant Stimulant Applications

“…38 Nanosilica was also produced from silica sand 44 with average particle sizes of 80 nm and 170 nm. 32 Three different processing techniques� sol−gel, sonication, and spray pyrolysis�were used to create silica nanoparticles from natural quartz sand, yielding a mesoporous material with an average size of 10−26 nm. 40 However, the scalability of the common nanosilica producing methods was not well developed.…”

“…Chemical methods such as sol–gel or hydrothermal synthesis are frequently used to make amorphous silica nanoparticles of >95% purity from various precursors, including organic silica sources such as rice husk ash that has 85–98% silica content. − Sodium silicate solution, which is used to make silica nanoparticles, was made with silica sand in several studies. ,,− Amorphous silica nanoparticles with a particle size of about 60 nm were obtained by following the alkali fusion route using NaOH at 500 °C . Nanosilica was also produced from silica sand with average particle sizes of 80 nm and 170 nm . Three different processing techniquessol–gel, sonication, and spray pyrolysiswere used to create silica nanoparticles from natural quartz sand, yielding a mesoporous material with an average size of 10–26 nm .…”

“… 19 − 26 Although the advantages and disadvantages of using nanomaterials as fertilizers are controversial from the consumer safety point of view, 7 , 27 − 30 there are numerous studies on using nanosilica for agriculture with positive effects on crops. 10 , 27 , 31 , 32 Therefore, it is required to develop a simple, scalable approach for the industrial manufacturing of nanosilica, while deferring the assessment of safety as a concern of licensing.…”

Self‐roughened superhydrophobic polydopamine coating with excellent self‐cleaning, anti‐corrosion, and UV shielding performances

“…Recently, the strategy of using inorganic nanoparticles (such as SiO 2 , TiO 2 , and ZnO) and adhesives to construct surface roughness by facile spraying or dipping has gained particular interest due to their broad applicability to substrates. [6][7][8] However, these coatings require additional consideration of interfacial adhesion compared with traditional coatings. (2) Multifunctional.…”

“…The traditional preparation process, such as electrodeposition, 4 laser ablation, 5 emphasizes finding a suitable fabrication method for some specific materials. Recently, the strategy of using inorganic nanoparticles (such as SiO 2 , TiO 2 , and ZnO) and adhesives to construct surface roughness by facile spraying or dipping has gained particular interest due to their broad applicability to substrates 6–8 . However, these coatings require additional consideration of interfacial adhesion compared with traditional coatings.…”