溶胶凝胶一步溶剂交换与表面改性制备疏水硅气凝胶

以正硅酸乙酯为硅源,采用酸碱两步催化的溶胶-凝胶法,以无水乙醇/六甲基二硅氮烷/正己烷为溶剂交换与表面改性试剂,通过一步溶剂交换与表面改性和常压干燥工艺制备疏水SiO2气凝胶。用傅立叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、X射线衍射(XRD)、热重-差示(TG-DSC)、场发射扫描电镜(F-SEM)和比表面积(BET)等检测手段对样品的结构、形貌和性能进行了表征。结果表明,将传统的溶剂交换与表面改性由多个步骤改为一步完成,使制备周期从原来的6d缩减到3d,不仅缩短了周期,而且使所得的SiO2气凝胶样品具有842.63m2/g的高比表面积、130kg/m3的低密度、15nm的超细颗粒、2～170nm的孔洞结构和良好的疏水性能。     

Reduction of processing time by mechanical shaking of the ambient pressure dried TEOS based silica aerogel granules

The present paper deals with preparation of silica aerogel granules by two step acid–base sol–gel process involving ambient pressure drying of alcogels with additional use of mechanical shaker to accelerate the solvent exchange process and characterization of the yielded aerogels granules to study their physical properties. The conventional ambient pressure drying of alcogels is crucial since it needs tedious repetitive gel washing and solvent exchanges (10 times) which consumes total process time of 4 days. We have succeeded to synthesize aerogels within 2 days by making use of alcogels shaking. To get good quality aerogels in terms of low density, high optical transparency, low volume shrinkage, various base catalysts and their combinations were used. The optimal molar ratio of precursor chemicals Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS): Methanol (MeOH): Oxalic acid: NH₄OH: NH₄F: Trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) found to be 1: 16.5: 0.49: 0.58: 0.60: 0.98, respectively. Among six catalyst studied, combination of NH₄OH and NH₄F resulted in low density and transparent aerogels. Hydrophobicity was achieved by surface silylation using TMCS silylating agent but lead to decrease in transparency due to chloride precipitation. We have improved transparency of aerogels by methanol washing of alcogels prior to silylation. The hydrophobicity has been studied by FTIR analysis and contact angle measurements. The thermal analysis indicates thermal stability of hydrophobicity up to 318 °C and the Surface morphology of aerogel has been studied by FESEM.     

Physico-chemical properties of silica aerogels prepared from TMOS/MTMS mixtures

In the present work, results on the physico-chemical properties of the silica aerogels prepared by sol–gel process using mixtures of TMOS and MTMS as precursor are reported. The wide range of precursor mixture was studied with ratio of MTMS/TMOS in precursor mixtures as 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25, and 100:0 by volume. The gels with these precursor mixtures were successfully prepared using two step acid–base catalysis for gelation. Acetic acid (0.001 M) and NH₄OH (1.5 M) were used for catalysis and resulting alcogels were subsequently dried by supercritical solvent extraction method. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that the aerogels show more intense peak at 1,260 and 790 cm⁻¹ attributed to Si–CH₃ resulting in more hydrophobic nature and these results were concurrent with adsorbed water content measurements made using Karl Fischer’s titration technique. The resulted aerogels were characterized using differential thermal analysis, thermo gravimetric analysis and surface area measurements. The surface area measurements showed an interesting trend that the surface area increased from 395 to 1,037 m²/g with increase in MTMS content in the precursor mixture from 0 to 50% and then again decreased to 512 m²/g for further increase in MTMS content from 50 to 100% in the precursor mixture. It was observed from our studies that silica aerogels prepared using a starting mixture of 50% TMOS and 50% MTMS resulted in high moisture resistance (adsorbed water content of 0.721% w/w), low density of 90 kg/m³ and the highest surface area of 1,037 m²/g, which has great potential for catalysis support applications.     

High surface area methyltriethoxysilane-derived aerogels by ambient pressure drying

In this paper we report the synthesis of methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) based aerogels by non-supercritical/ambient pressure drying. The alcogels have been aged in different concentrations of silane precursor solutions before drying and aerogels with low density and high porosity were obtained. The 60% vol silane aged aerogel shows a surface area of 416 m²/g with a pore volume of 0.99 cm³/g and a maximum surface area of 727 m²/g was obtained for 80% vol silane aged aerogel. The non-silane aged sample possess a surface area of 471 m²/g with a total pore volume of 0.83 cm³/g. The aerogels show broad pore-size distribution. The FT-IR studies reveal the retention of Si–C bond in the network and the formation of a hydrophobic gel. The ²⁹Si magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (²⁹Si MAS-NMR) studies were also employed to characterize the local environment around the silicon atoms and to obtain information on the condensation degree of the gel network. By varying the hydrolysis pH, highly flexible aerogels have also been successfully prepared. The porosity studies on the flexible aerogels are also presented here.     

超临界干燥制备疏水型二氧化硅气凝胶

文章以正硅酸乙酯为原料,经溶胶-凝胶过程制备二氧化硅醇凝胶,采用三甲基氯硅烷作为表面改性剂,对醇凝胶进行化学表面修饰,超临界干燥,制备了疏水性二氧化硅气凝胶粉末。运用红外光谱、BET、扫描电镜、XRD对其结构、形貌及化学组成进行了分析。结果表明：该样品是表面连有疏水基团-CH3的疏水性SiO2气凝胶,呈连续网络结构的球状纳米粒子,孔径分布主要集中在2～4nm,是热稳定性较高的非晶、多孔、轻质介孔材料。     

Fabrication and characterization of the monolithic hydrophobic alumina aerogels

The monolithic hydrophobic mesoporous alumina aerogels were successfully synthesized by acid–base sol–gel polymerization of aluminium chloride hexahydrate (AlCl₃·6H₂O) in deionized water/alcohol solution (v/v = 3:7). To minimize shrinkage during drying, alumina hydrogels were aged in tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS)/acetonitrile solution, and modified using trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS)/acetonitrile solution. Properties of the final product were examined by contact angle measurement, FTIR, FESEM, TEM and BET analyses. Surface modification was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that hydrophobic property of the alumina aerogels was affected by the contents of TMCS. When the molar ratio of TMCS to AlCl₃·6H₂O is 0.35, hydrophobic alumina aerogels shows lower bulk density (0.453 g/cm³) and higher surface area (495 m²/g) than those of unmodified alumina aerogels (0.933 g/cm³, 413 m²/g).     

The influence of preparation method on the physicochemical properties of titania–silica aerogels: Part two

Titania–silica aerogels with different titania content were prepared. Four preparation methods differing mainly in approach to precursors hydrolysis were applied, while only three of them allowed total hydrolysis of silica precursor before titania precursor was added. The preparation of mixed products of titania and silica hydrolysis precursors containing gels was followed by high temperature supercritical drying (HTSCD) and thermal treatment at 500 °C. Obtained mixed oxides in form of aerogels were characterized by BET surface areas up to 1000 m²/g, mesopore volumes up to 1.6 cm³/g and bulk densities as low as 0.04 g/cm³. Even 18 h lasting aging did not allow to produce narrow diameter range mesoporous materials, their broad pore diameter distributions resulted in average pore sizes varying from 10 to nearly 30 nm. XRD measurements proved the presence of anatase crystalline form of titania, while silica was present in amorphous form. SEM studies indicated presence of isolated titania particles on titania–silica surface while joint hydrolysis method was applied. Titania–silica aerogels obtained by the simultaneous hydrolysis of precursors and the impregnation method showed high photocatalytic activity in degradation of salicylic acid in water. Activities of these mesoporous photocatalysts were higher than commercial P25 Degussa TiO₂. Comparison of activity of pure TiO₂ (P25 Degussa) and aerogels indicates higher utilization of titania present in mesoporous mixed oxides.     

Preparation of silica aerogel from oil shale ash by fluidized bed drying

The silica aerogel with high specific surface area and large pore volume was successfully synthesized using oil shale ash (OSA) via ambient pressure drying. The oil shale ash was burned and leached by sulfuric acid solution, and then was extracted using sodium hydroxide solution to produce a sodium silicate solution. The solution was neutralized with sulfuric acid solution to form a silica gel. After washing with water, the solvent exchange with n-hexane, and the surface modification with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDZ), the aged gel was dried by fluidization technique and also using a furnace to yield silica aerogels. The physical and textural properties of the resultant silica aerogels were investigated and discussed. The results have been compared with silica aerogel powders dried in a furnace. From the results, it is clear that the properties of silica powders obtained in fluidized bed are superior to that of powders dried in the furnace. Using fluidization technique, it could produce silica aerogel powders with low tapping density of 0.0775 g/cm³, high specific surface area (789 m²/g) and cumulative pore volume of 2.77 cm³/g.     

Effect of protic solvents on the physical properties of the ambient pressure dried hydrophobic silica aerogels using sodium silicate precursor

Considering the importance of the highly porous, low density, transparent and nanostructured hydrophobic silica aerogels in the scientific and industrial applications, the experiments have been carried out to prepare the low density silica aerogels using the 1.12 specific gravity water glass (sodium silicate, Na₂SiO₃) precursor, ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) catalyst, trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) silylating agent, various first exchanging protic solvents and hexane as a second exchanging aprotic solvent. The first exchanging solvents used were: methanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol, butanol, isobutanol and hexanol. The molar ratio of the Na₂SiO₃:H₂O:NH₄OH:TMCS was kept constant at 1:56:0.02:0.4 respectively. The ambient pressure dried method was used for the preparation of hydrophobic silica aerogels. The effect of the exchanging protic solvents on the physical properties of the aerogels such as density, % of volume shrinkage, % of porosity, % of optical transmission, thermal conductivity, thermal stability and contact angle of the aerogels with water, were studied. FTIR studies were carried out to confirm the silylation of the aerogel samples. It was found that the exchanging protic solvents have profound effect on the physical and hydrophobic properties of the aerogels. Low density (0.07 g/cm³), high porosity (96.6 %), low thermal conductivity (0.091 W/mK), high contact angle (166°) silica aerogels could be prepared by using the isopropanol first exchanging solvent followed by the hexane as the second exchanging solvent along with the TMCS silylating agent with sodium silicate precursor.     

Preparation of hydrophobic mesoporous silica powder with a high specific surface area by surface modification of a wet-gel slurry and spray-drying

A hydrophobic mesoporous silica powder was prepared by surface modification of a sodium silicate-based wet-gel slurry. The effects of the volume percentage (%V) of trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), used as surface-modifying agent, on the physicochemical properties of the silica powder were investigated. We observed that as the %V of TMCS in the simultaneous solvent exchange and surface modification process increased, so did the specific surface area and cumulative pore volume of the resulting silica powder. Hydrophobic silica powder with low tapping density (0.27 g/cm³), high specific surface area (870 m²/g), and a large cumulative pore volume (2.2 cm³/g) was obtained at 10%V TMCS. Surface silanol groups of the wet-gel slurry were replaced by non-hydrolysable methyl groups (-CH₃), resulting in a hydrophobic silica powder as confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and contact angle measurements. We also employed FE-SEM, EDS, TG-DTA, and nitrogen physisorption studies to characterize the silica powders produced and to compare the properties of modified and unmodified silica powders. Moreover, we used a spray-dying technique in the present study, which significantly reduced the overall processing time, making our method suitable for economic and large-scale industrial production of silica powder.     

A facile method to fabricate monolithic alumina–silica aerogels with high surface areas and good mechanical properties

In this study, monolithic alumina–silica aerogels with high surface areas and good mechanical properties were synthesized via a facile sol–gel method without solvent exchange. Furthermore, surface areas, microstructures (up to 1300 °C), and mechanical properties of the prepared alumina–silica aerogels were investigated. The sintering and phase transformations of metastable alumina nanoparticles are suppressed owing to the uniformly distributed Si in the alumina–silica aerogels; therefore, the alumina–silica aerogels can maintain much higher specific surface areas after being calcined at 800 °C (575.5 m²/g), 1000 °C (443.2 m²/g), and 1200 °C (120.6 m²/g) compared to pristine alumina aerogels. In addition, the prepared high surface area alumina–silica aerogels show considerably higher strengths than those obtained in previous works. The compressive stress (3 % strain) and elastic modulus of the alumina–silica aerogels reached 1.78 and 65.6 MPa, respectively. The reported alumina–silica aerogels in this study can be good candidates as high-temperature thermal insulators and catalysts.     

Surface modification of silica aerogels by hexamethyldisilazane–carbon dioxide mixtures and their phase behavior

The surfaces of monolithic silica aerogels were rendered hydrophobic using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) as surface modification agent and scCO₂ as solvent. The treatment led to hydrophobic silica aerogels which are as transparent as untreated aerogels. The effects of HMDS concentration in the fluid phase and the reaction time were investigated and the contact angles were found to be 130° at different conditions. FTIR spectra indicated a reduction in hydrophilic surface silanol groups and the emergence of hydrophobic CH₃ groups. The bubble point pressures of the HMDS–CO₂ system were obtained at temperatures 298.2 K, 313.2 K, 327.7 K and 342 K at various concentrations. At a fixed temperature, the bubble point pressure decreased as the concentration of HMDS increased. At a fixed composition, bubble point pressure increased as the temperature increased. The bubble point pressures were modeled using the Peng–Robinson Stryjek–Vera Equation of State (PRSVEOS) and compared well with the experimental data.     

Ultralight and hydrophobic nanofibrillated cellulose aerogels from coconut shell with ultrastrong adsorption properties

Ultralight aerogels based on nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) isolated from coconut shell were successfully prepared via a mild fast method, which included chemical pretreatment, ultrasonic isolation, solvent exchange, and tert‐butanol freeze drying. The as‐prepared NFC aerogels with complex three‐dimensional fibrillar networks had a low bulk density of 0.84 mg/cm³ (specific surface area = 9.1 m²/g and pore volume = 0.025 cm³/g), maintained a cellulose I crystal structure, and showed more superior thermal stability than the coconut shell raw materials. After the hydrophobic modification by methyl trichlorosilane (MTCS), the NFC aerogels exhibited high water repellency properties, an ultrastrong oil‐adsorption capacity (542 times that of the original dry weight of diesel oil), and superior oil–water separation performance. Moreover, the absorption capabilities of the MTCS‐treated NFC aerogels were as high as 296?669 times their own weights for various organic solvents and oil. Thus, this class of high‐performance adsorbing materials might be useful for dealing with chemical leaks and oil spills. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42037.     

The influence of preparation method on the physicochemical properties of titania–silica aerogels

A series of titania–silica aerogels with different compositions were prepared using four different preparation methods. The preparation steps were followed by a high temperature supercritical drying (HTSCD). It was found that application of ethanol and 2-propanol as the solvents for the titania precursor (with or without modification with acetyloacetone) resulted in materials with BET surface area up to 990 m²/g, total pore volume up to 5.6 cm³/g and density as low as 0.041 g cm⁻³. Obtained aerogels were mesoporous materials with the average pore diameter in the range 11–27 nm. It was stated that application of the I method (prehydrolysis) resulted in aerogels with higher average pore diameter than other preparation methods while aerogels with the lowest average pore diameter were obtained using the so-called IV, impregnation method. Anatase form of titania was found in all prepared samples. The prepared aerogels were being applied as catalysts in photodegradation of salicylic acid solution in water. The obtained results suggest a much higher catalytic efficiency of titania, which is present in aerogel than it is in the case of commercial P25 Degussa titanium dioxide.     

Synthesis and characterization of monolithic carbon/silicon carbide composite aerogels

Resorcinol–formaldehyde/silica composite (RF/SiO₂) aerogels were synthesized using sol–gel process followed by supercritical CO₂ drying. Monolithic carbon/silicon carbide composite (C/SiC) aerogels were formed from RF/SiO₂ aerogels after carbothermal reduction. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy demonstrate that β-SiC was obtained after carbothermal reduction. Scanning electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption/desorption reveal that the as-prepared C/SiC aerogels are typical mesoporous materials. The pore structural properties were measured by nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis. The resulting C/SiC aerogels possess a BET surface area of 564 m²/g, a porosity of 95.1 % and a pore volume of 2.59 cm³/g. The mass fraction of SiC in C/SiC aerogels is 31 %.     

Production of silica aerogel microparticles loaded with ammonia borane by batch and semicontinuous supercritical drying techniques

Silica aerogel microparticles were prepared by supercritical drying and used as support for hydrogen-storing ammonia borane (AB). The formation of aerogel microparticles was done using two different processes: batch supercritical fluid extraction and a semicontinuous drying process. Silica aerogel microparticles with a surface area ranging from 400 to 800 m²/g, a volume of pores of 1 cm³/g, and a mean particle diameter ranging from 12 to 27 μm were produced using the two drying techniques. The particle size distribution (PSD) of the microparticles was influenced by shear rate, amount of catalyst, hydrophilic–hydrophobic solvent ratio and hydrophobic surface modification. In particular, irregular aerogel particles were obtained from hydrophilic gels, while regular, spherical particles with smooth surfaces were obtained from hydrophobic gels. AB was loaded into silica aerogel microparticles in concentrations ranging from 1% till 5% wt. Hydrogen release kinetics from the hydride-loaded aerogel was analyzed with a volumetric cell at 80 °C. By stabilization of AB into the silica aerogel microparticles, an improvement of the release rate of hydrogen from AB was observed.     

Facile one-step precursor-to-aerogel synthesis of silica-doped alumina aerogels with high specific surface area at elevated temperatures

Silica-doped alumina aerogels offer the potential alternative to the applications as thermal insulators, catalysis, or catalytic support at elevated temperatures. However, the production process of silica-doped alumina aerogels was complicated and time-consuming. We developed a one-step precursor-to-aerogel method of silica-doped alumina aerogels with high specific surface area and thermal stability. Compared to conventional methods, the developed method reduced time and solvent waste of alumina-based aerogels production. Here, we investigated the alumina aerogels doped with silica to stabilize γ-phase at higher temperatures. XRD, FTIR, TEM, TG-DSC, and BET analysis results showed that silica stabilized the γ-Al₂O₃ at 1200 °C. The stabilization mechanism analysis showed that silica addition could significantly hinder the contact among alumina particles and the formation of necks in the sintering process, thereby retarding the transition of γ–θ phase and maintaining the high specific surface area at elevated temperatures. Silica and alumina particles formed mullite at 1200 °C, which could suppress α-phase transformation. In addition, silica-doped alumina aerogels exhibited the high specific surface area of 311 m²/g at 1000 °C and 146 m²/g at 1200 °C when the silica content was in the range of 10.6–13.1 wt%.     

通过控制醇凝胶强度常压制备低密度疏水SiO2气凝胶

常压干燥制备低密度气凝胶是促进高性能气凝胶发展应用的重要途径。以正硅酸乙酯为硅源,采用溶胶-凝胶和常压干燥工艺制备出低密度(<100 kg·m^-3)的疏水SiO₂气凝胶,通过工艺参数的控制制备出不同压缩模量的醇凝胶,探讨了反应物配比对醇凝胶压缩模量和气凝胶密度间的影响关系,获得了通过控制醇凝胶压缩模量制备低密度疏水SiO₂气凝胶的方法;发现将醇凝胶压缩模量控制在0.25~2.5 kPa范围内,可制备出密度小于100 kg·m^-3的疏水SiO₂气凝胶,该研究可以为低密度疏水SiO₂气凝胶的低成本常压制备及其控制方法提供指导。     

Aerogel of nitrate glycerol ether cellulose based on phase separation in acetone/ethanol mixed solvents system

Nitrate glycerol ether cellulose (NGEC) alcogels are formed in the ternary NGEC/acetone/ethanol system. NGEC aerogels are prepared from NGEC alcogels after solvent exchange and drying under supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂). The aerogels are prepared with various densities and porosities, relating directly to the initial ethanol content. NGEC aerogels had surface areas of up to 183 m² g^?1 and large mesopore volumes with a combination of large macropore volumes and a wide range of mesopore sizes. The aerogels with larger pore size distribution range, average pore diameter, and mesopore and macropore volume were obtained from system with higher ethanol content. The aerogels were further characterized by X‐ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the NGEC aerogels clearly retained the crystalline structure from NGEC. Compared with NGEC powders, the thermal decomposition of NGEC aerogel is accelerated and this process becomes more acute. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41405.     

Synthesis and characterization of a xonotlite fibers–silica aerogel composite by ambient pressure drying

Xonotlite fibers (XFs) reinforced silica aerogel composites were prepared by a sol–gel method under ambient pressure drying. XFs were synthesized through a dynamic hydrothermal route and had a noodle-like structure with length of 5–10 μm and average diameter of 150–200 nm. The microstructure analysis showed that XFs were inlaid in silica aerogel matrix by physical combination which contributed to restrict the volume shrinkage of alcogels and maintain the integrality aerogels during drying process. The physical, naonporous and thermal properties of the as prepared aerogel composites were investigated and discussed in detail. The new aerogel composites possessed porous nanostructure, which exhibited typical properties of 0.126 g/cm³ density, 4.132 cm³/g pore volume, and thermal conductivity of 0.0285 W/(m K). The results indicated that the introduced XFs didn’t significantly alter the porosity, hydrophobicity or thermal conductivity of aerogel matrix. It was also found that the aerogel composites had much more outstanding porosity than that of pure aerogel upon calcinations at 800 °C. This study fabricated XFs–silica aerogel composites and explored a new way for silica aerogels to endure and remain monolithic under ambient pressure drying.