Synthesis and Characterization of Microwave Sintered Silica Xerogel Produced from Rice Husk Ash

Abstract

Silica xerogel ceramic produced from rice husk ash (RHA) taken from South East Sulawesi Indonesia has been successfully sintered by using a millimeter waves (MMW) heating system with a 28 GHz gyrotron as radiation source. The ceramic was also sintered by using an electric furnace where served as a comparison. Densification, microstructural, and morphological characterization of the silica were then investigated by using an Archimedes densification measurement method device, a X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), respectively. Effect of microwave energy on the properties of silica xerogel ceramic were evaluated and discussed and compared to conventionally sintered results. The notably different densification and microstructure of sintered samples after sintering were found. The results suggest that microwave radiation provides a microwave effect during sintering.