Comparison of structure and properties of nano silica particles fabricated from rice husk by Chemical and thermal methods

One of the cheapest reinforcements for fabrication of nano composites is nano silica particle. This reinforcement has good mechanical, physical and chemical properties that would make it so much attractive for reinforcement of polymer matrix composites and lightweight concretes. Nano silica particles are fabricated by gas phase, liquid or solid phase precursors, which on of these precursors are rice husks. This material is a cheap agricultural waste product and has large amount of hydrated silica and other organic compounds that their impurities would be remove simple during conversion to nano silica. Two main methods are used for fabrication of nano silica from rice hull, which are based on solutionprecipitation (chemical method) or thermal decomposing in oxygen atmosphere. In this paper, these two methods have been used for fabrication of nano silica and structure and properties of them were studied carefully. Results shows that fabrication method can change nanostructure of Nanosilica on the other hand mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites reinforced by nanosilica particles directly related to adhesion bonds of nanostructure, which would strongly related to fabrication routine.

Keywords:

nanosilica , rice husk , chemical treatment , thermal treatment , nanostructure