Nuryono

Coating of magnetite with mercapto modified rice hull ash silica in a one-pot process

In this research, mercapto-silica coated magnetite (Fe3O4-SiO2-SH) has been prepared in aqueous solution through a simple approach so called a one-pot process. The Fe3O4-SiO2-SH was prepared in nitrogen condition by mixing magnetite, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution extracted from rice hull ash, and adjusting the pH of 7.0 using hydrochloric acid. The residue was washed with deionized water, dried at 150°C and separated with an external magnetic field. In that work, the volume of MPTMS and Na2SiO3 was varied and the total amount of Si represented as silica was kept constant. Characters of the material including the functional group presence, the structure, the porosity, the morphology and stability toward various solvents were identified and evaluated. Results of characterization indicated that mercapto-silica has been coated magnetite particle with a simple one-pot process. Coating mercapto-silica on magnetite increases particle size, surface area, and chemical stability. Additionally, Fe3O4-SiO2-SH also shows high stability toward various organic solvents. The magnetic property of magnetite does not change after coating and the addition of nonmagnetic material still gives high value of maximum saturation magnetization. The presence of mercapto groups effective for interaction with heavy metal ions, the high chemical stability without removing the magnetic property promises the prospective application of Fe3O4-SiO2-SH in the future such as for separation and removal of heavy metal ions from aquatic environments.

EFFECT OF ACID CONCENTRATION ON CHARACTERS OF SILICA GEL SYNTHESIZED FROM SODIUM SILICATE

In this research, synthesis and characterization of silica gel from sodium silicate through sol-gel process using H2SO4, HCl, and citric acid have been investigated. Synthesis was carried out by mixing and stirring 20 mL of H2SO4, HCl or citric acid at certain concentration with 50 mL of sodium silicate solution (Na2O 0.17 M and SiO2 0.61 M) for one hour and let to form gel. The gel was washed with distillated water, and dried in an oven at 100 C. Characterization of silica gel was carried out by determination of acidity, water adsorption capacity, and water content. Identification of functional group and structure were identified using x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and infrared (IR) spectrophotometer, respectively. Results showed that at a range of investigated concentration (0.6 – 3.0 M) the increase of concentration, formation of gel with H2SO4 tended to be faster, but with HCl and citric acid to be slower. The increase of acid concentration caused water content, water adsorption capacity, and acidity of the silica gel resulted with HCl and citric acid tended to be increased, increased, and increased, but with H2SO4 to be decreased, increased, and decreased, respectively. Based on the IR spectra and XRD data, it could concluded that the synthetic silica gels contained silanol (Si-OH) and siloxane (Si-O-Si) and were amorphous, showing similar pattern to kieselgel G 60 produced by Merck.