Fabrication of NanoChiSil for Application of Fertilizer

Abstract

It has conducted research of nanoChiSil material consisting of nanochitosan and nanosilica materials for agricultural fertilizer applications. A total of 10 grams of chitosan powder was weighed and dissolved in 500 ml of 1% solution of acetic acid and stirred for 30 minutes, then filtered to separate the chitosan solution with impurities. Nanochitosan synthesized by using 50 ml liquid chitosan diluted further by adding 200 ml of distilled water while stirring continuously using a magnetic stirrer. The chitosan solution was then added to 20 ml of solution 0.02% STTP drop by drop, stirring constantly with a magnetic stirrer until the chitosan solution changes color to white. The nanoChiSil material is performed by adding 30 ml of colloidal nanochitosan into 70 ml of colloidal nanosilica (Nanosil 99) using a magnetic stirrer until homogenous. The nanoChiSil was then analyzed the shape and particle size by using TEM, while its content was measured by EDX. The observed TEM results clearly indicate that the particles of NanoChiSil material have size of 10-20 nm.