Nano-Silica Extracted from Rice Husk Ash: Effect on the Thermal Properties of Hydroxyethyl Cellulose

Abstract

Thermal resistance and thermal stability of cellulose film are of particular importance in different applications. In this work, the effect of nanosilica extracted from rice husk ash on the thermal properties of hydroxyethyl cellulose has been investigated using thermal analysis test (Differential Scanning Calorimeter, DSC). Morphology and nanosilica dispersion and distribution were investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results of this work show that by increasing the amount of nanosilica from 0 wt% to 8 wt% to the hydroxyethyl cellulose, the heat of degradation increases to about 127%. The thermal degradation temperature also increases by about 33 K. Also, the burning time increased from 84 s to 300 s.