Synthesis and Characterization of High-Purity SiO2 Nanoparticles Utilizing Greater Club Rush: Exploring a Promising Natural Source

High-purity SiO2 nanoparticles (SNPs) play a crucial role in various electronic applications such as semiconductors, solar cells, optical fibers, lenses, and insulating layers due to their purity and particle size, which significantly impact device efficiency. This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of pure SNPs through chemical etching of Greater Club Rush. White powder SNPs were prepared using HCl etching, and their thermal behavior was analyzed via thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC). Structural properties were investigated using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANE) was employed to assess the oxidation state of the SNPs. The morphology of the SNPs after the first etching was amorphous with sizes ranging from 50-100 nm, which increased to 60-200 nm after the second etching. Despite this size variation, the SNPs maintained a high purity level of 99.8% SiO2, comparable to industry standards. Notably, the second etching with 0.1M HCl significantly enhanced the purity, achieving 99.8% SiO2 mass. Furthermore, HCl etching facilitated the formation of SiO2 in the Si4+ oxidation state, akin to industrial SNPs. These findings underscore the critical role of HCl etching in synthesizing high-purity SNPs with potential applications in advanced electronic devices.