Abstract

• In this research, the sodium calcium silicate glass ceramics was prepared via sol-gel method utilizing rice husk ash (RHA). To prepare rice husk ash, the rice husk was treated with dilute hydrochloric acid solution to gain the high percentage silica content and then calcined at 700 °C. The high-quality rice husk ash with acid pretreatment was used as silica source for sodium silica solution to prepare silica gel. The silica gel was prepared by sol gel method with extracted rice husk ash, NaOH and Ca (NO3)2.4H2O. The dried silica gel was calcined at 700 °C and then sintered at 900 °C to obtain glass ceramics. EDXRF was employed to study the chemical purity of the obtained silica. The structure of extracted silica and the phase purity of the prepared samples were identified by X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) analysis and it was found that the sodium calcium silicate phase was appeared. The morphology of the obtained samples was analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that are depicted as aggregated particles with broad size distribution and the grain size of glass ceramics was 3.6 μm. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to detect the binding groups in the samples and Si-O-Si stretching mode and sodium calcium silicate phase were observed in both calcined glass powder and glass ceramics.