Impact of pH and Calcination Temperature on Synthesis, Characterization, and Cytotoxicity of Silicon Oxide Nanoparticles

Silicon nanoparticles are critical in nanotechnology research. They are widely regarded as harmless and biocompatible. Silicon nanoparticles have recently been shown to exhibit bacteriostatic capabilities due to their huge surface area and antibacterial property. The primary purpose of this report is to study the size distribution behavior, morphological and spectrographic properties of SiO 2 nanoparticles synthesized under varied pH levels and calcination temperatures while holding the other factors constant. Additionally, the impact of pH and calcination temperature on the cytotoxicity properties of nanoparticles was also investigated. The nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry (TGA/DSC) analysis was also described. The nanoparticles obtained were estimated to be between 50 and 200 nm in size. When the pH and annealing temperatures were raised, ultra-pure particles with dimensions of less than 100 nm were formed. With high calcination temperature, the toxicity level of formed nanoparticles was also reduced. The synthesized amorphous nanoparticles can be enormously employed in medicinal applications, optical applications such as quantum dots, or can be coated on fabrics to achieve antibacterial or other quality features. Graphical Abstract