Enhancing aerogel mechanical properties with incorporation of POSS

Abstract

Abstract Silica aerogels consisting of nanoparticles and numerous nano-pores have many attractive attributes. However, the weak mechanical properties severely limited the practical application of the silica aerogel. In this work, a facile approach was employed to strengthen the silica aerogel while the multi-alkoxy polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) joined with methyltriethoxysilane (MTES) as the co-precursor. Three kinds of stiff core POSS with different amount of alkoxy groups were chosen to prepare aerogels. The result attributes showed all aerogels owned mesoporous structure (10–20 nm), high specific surface area (760–877 m 2 g −1 ) and good thermal stability. Moreover, with the introduction of POSS, the mechanical properties had been apparently enhanced. The suitable addition of functional groups and the adjustment of cross-linking density made the aerogel own more room to deform and the skeleton still strong enough to endure large deformation. In addition, new peaks appeared in the XRD patterns at the same time. The preparation strategy of composite aerogels may guide a facile way to regulate the aerogel attributes. Furthermore, the aerogel potential application in oil-water separation has also been investigated.