a weight loss of 4.3 wt%, due to decomposition or oxidation of free carbon in oxygen, which agrees with the exothermic peak of the DSC curve at 950 C, showing good thermal stability of the SiO2/C composite, where this same peak has been reported in literature (Watari et al., 2006) but at lower temperatures (550 C), attributing to the low carbon content may see the crystallization of amorphous silica to cristobalite phase occur in this composite.