Solvents Effects on Physicochemical Properties of Nano-Porous Silica Aerogels Prepared by Ambient Pressure Drying Method

Abstract

Hydrophobic silica aerogels were synthesized by an ambient pressure drying method from silicic acid with a different pH value, which was prepared from sodium silicate solution (water glass). In this study we chose various hydrocarbon class solvents such as pentane, hexane, heptane, and toluene, and performed surface modification in TMCS (trimethylchlorosilane)/solvent solutions in order to improve reproducibility in aerogel production. Densities of the aerogels were about 0.1 ~ 0.3 g/cm3 , and apparent porosities were 88 ~ 96 %, depending on the processing conditions. Specific surface area was approximately 730 ~ 950 m2/g, and average pore size around 10 nm.