Abstract
Silica aerogels have attracted tremendous interest due to their high specific surface area and the physical, chemical, and mechanical properties as promising materials for thermal insulation, chemical sensors, and energy storage devices. However, large-scale production of silica aerogels remains a challenge due to costly alkoxide precursors and energy-intensive supercritical drying processes. This paper analyzes the effect of acidity levels and feed rate on the porosity of rice husk aerogels with high specific surface area under ambient pressure. This synthetic approach is cost-effective, eco-friendly, and facilitates recycling. Rice husk ash, which consists of 92% amorphous pure silica, was produced by combustion. A process of solvent exchange and surface modification under ambient pressure at different pH levels was conducted for synthesis of the aerogel. The specific surface area of rice husk aerogel was confirmed as ranging from 385 to 861 m²/g under pH 1 to pH 9 and acid feed rate of 0.5 to 5.0 mL/min. The optimized aerogel had a specific surface area of 861 m²/g, a pore volume of 3.33 cm³/g, and an average pore diameter of 12 nm when synthesized at pH 1 and an acid feed rate of 2.5 mL/min. The aerogel was found to be highly hydrophobic, with a water contact angle of 156° up to about 340 °C.