Synthesis of amorphous silica from silicone oil by way of gradually roasting process

Silica in amorphous form is a promising material for many applications such as fillers, sensors, catalytic materials, and biomedical fields. This research aim is to fabricate amorphous silica from silicone oil using a gradually roasting process. The roasting process is carried out in stages starting from the breakdown of the silicone oil as precursor material at a temperature of 300°C followed by the second stage of the roasting process at a temperature of 700°C. The characterization of amorphous silica obtained from silicone oil was carried out using the X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) to determine the structure of the composition of the compound, electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) to determine the morphology of the resulting product, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis to determine the level of product composition and level of purity. The results of the XRD characterization showed that the amorphous silica was formed. The results of the characterization with SEM have a soft white spherical morphology. The results of EDX silica content resulting from this roasting process showed silica oxide with Si and O elements with no other impurities. The results of the XRF analysis showed that the SiO2 content was above 97.15%.