The Effect of pH on Synthesis of Nano-Silica Using Water Glass

Synthesis of nano-silica using water glass in a Sol-Gel process is one of several methods to manufacture nano-silica. In nano-silica synthesized from water glass, there are various metal impurities. However, synthesis of nano-silica using water glass in a Sol-Gel process is an interesting method because it is relatively simple and cheap. In this study, nano-silica was synthesized from water glass; we investigated the effect of pH on the synthesis of nano-silica. The morphology of the nanosilica with pH 2 was flat, but the surface of the nano-silica with pH 10 had holes similar to small craters. As a result of ICPOES analysis, the amount of Na in the nano-silica with pH 2 was found to be 170 mg/kg. On the other hand, the amount of Na in the nano-silica with pH 10 was found to be 56,930 mg/kg. After calcination, the crystal structure of the nano-silica with pH 2 was amorphous. The crystal structure of the nano-silica with pH 10 transformed from amorphous to tridymite. This is because elemental Na in the nano-silica had the effect of decreasing the phase transformation temperature.