Enhancing the properties of bone China ceramics by treatment with microporous SiO2 nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, microporous silicon dioxide nanoparticles (SiO2–NPs) were used to improve the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of bone China ceramics. Microporous SiO2–NPs were prepared economically from sodium metasilicate (SMS) as a precursor with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant at different concentrations. The prepared SiO2–NPs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy to confirm the formation of microporous SiO2–NPs. The optimum concentrations of the precursor and surfactant used in the SiO2–NPs synthesis were set to be 1.5% and 2 g/200 ml, with a size range of 7–96 nm. SiO2–NPs prepared at the optimum concentrations were incorporated into bone China at different concentrations to evaluate their effect on flexural strength and elasticity. The bone China prepared using 1% SiO2–NPs (B1) had the highest flexural strength and Young's modulus values. Sample characteristics, including self-cleaning, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, bulk density (BD), apparent porosity (AP), and water absorption (WA), were investigated. The results revealed outstanding characteristic such as self-cleaning ability, remarkable increase in AP and WA, and a decrease in BD.