A preliminary study of phases, elemental mapping, and electrical properties on Na2FeSiO4 derived from rice husk silica

Abstract

Abstract This work reports a preliminary investigation about the phase, element mapping, and electrical properties of Na2FeSiO4 prepared from rice husk silica, (FeNO3)3.9H2O, NaOH, and C6H8O7.H2O using the sol-gel method. A sample sintered at 800 °C with a holding time of 10 hours at peak temperature. The phases identification shows that the main phase of Na2FeSiO4 had been formed in the sample accompanied by two impurity phases, i.e., Na2SiO3 and SiO2. Elemental mapping shows that Na, Fe, Si, and O elements are evenly distributed over the entire surface of the sample. The band gap energy value of the sample is relatively small, around 2.58 eV - 2.87 eV. Its electrical conductivity varies depending on frequency, i.e., 6.13×10−5 S/m at 1 Hz and decreases gradually up to 4.27×10−5 S/m at 1000 Hz.