Synthesis and Characterization of Hydrophobic Silica Aerogels Using Trimethylethoxysilane as a Co-Precursor

The hydrophobic property is one of the most important requirements for the long-term use of silica aerogels for transparent or translucent window insulation and opaque thermal insulating systems. Therefore, the present paper deals with the synthesis and characterization of hydrophobic silica aerogels using trimethylethoxysilane (TMES) as a co-precursor. Silica sol was prepared by keeping the molar ratio of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) precursor, methanol (MeOH) solvent, water (H₂O) and ammonia (NH₄OH) catalyst constant at 1:12:4:3.7 × 10^–3 respectively throughout the experiments and the TMES/TMOS molar ratio (A) was varied from 0 to 2.35. The resulting silica alcogels were dried supercritically by high-temperature alcohol solvent extraction. Hydrophobicity of the aerogels was tested by measuring the percentage of water adsorbed by the aerogels after putting them directly on the surface of water under humid conditions. Alternately, the hydrophobicity was also tested by contact angle measurements. It was found that as the A value increased, the hydrophobicity of the aerogels increased but the optical transmission decreased from 93% to less than 5% in the visible range. The thermal stability of the aerogels was studied in the temperature range from 25 to 400°C. The hydrophobic nature of the aerogels was maintained up to a temperature of 300°C. The aerogels were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, optical transmittance, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle measurements. The results have been discussed by taking into account the hydrolysis and condensation mechanisms.     

Silica Dissolution-Redeposition in Gels and Aerogels

Silica dissolution-redeposition phenomenon is investigated on a microscopic scale using Small Angle Xray Scattering (SAXS) method. The changes occurring in the microtexture are different according to the procedure used to dry the gels. A xerogel, a CO₂ supercritically dried aerogel and an alcohol supercritically dried aerogel were compared. Silica does not dissolve in CO₂ supercritical. The transformation of heat treated gels into CO₂ supercritically dried aerogels is demonstrated as having minor effect on the microtexture. SAXS data show oscillations around Porod law I(Q) Q ^–4 where Q is the wave vector. The oscillations are more pronounced for alcohol dried aerogel than for xerogel or CO₂ dried aerogel. These oscillations are related to curvatures of the surface i.e. the surface roughness. It was found that according to silica dissolution extent, the solid network surface was continuously smoothened in alcohol supercritically dried aerogel. The average chord length of the solid phase is shifted to larger values while the distribution seems to be more narrow. This effect does not give rise to the formation of closed pores.     

Numerical Simulations of Sintering, Application to Partially Densified Aerogels

Following recent scaling theories, the sintering of silica aerogels in modeled starting from computer generated gel structures obtained by diffusion-limited cluster-cluster aggregation on a cubic lattice. Two steps compose the sintering process model: a dressing step in which all particles are replaced by overlapping larger particles and a contraction step in which an adequate length rescaling is performed in order to conserve the total mass. Several quantities are computed during sintering as a function of the aerogel density such as the two characteristic cut-off lengths (lower and upper limits of the fractal regime) and the specific interface area. Comparison is made with results of similar off-lattice calculations when available. Some of the numerical results are compared with experiments on partially densified base-catalysed aerogels.     

Preparation and Characterization of Mg‐Zr Mixed Oxide Aerogels and Their Application as Aldol Condensation Catalysts

A series of Mg‐Zr mixed oxides with different nominal Mg/ (Mg+Zr) atomic ratios, namely 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.85, and 1, is prepared by alcogel methodology and fundamental insights into the phases obtained and resulting active sites are studied. Characterization is performed by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms, and thermal and chemical analysis. Cubic Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x solid solution, which results from the dissolution of Mg²⁺ cations within the cubic ZrO₂ structure, is the main phase detected for the solids with theoretical Mg/ (Mg+Zr) atomic ratio ≤0.4. In contrast, the cubic periclase (c‐MgO) phase derived from hydroxynitrates or hydroxy precursors predominates in the solid with Mg/(Mg+Zr)=0.85. c‐MgO is also incipiently detected in samples with Mg/(Mg+Zr)=0.2 and 0.4, but in these solids the c‐MgO phase mostly arises from the segregation of Mg atoms out of the alcogel‐derived c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x phase during the calcination process, and therefore the species c‐MgO and c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x are in close contact. Regarding the intrinsic activity in furfural–acetone aldol condensation in the aqueous phase, these Mg? O? Zr sites located at the interface between c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x and segregated c‐MgO display a much larger intrinsic activity than the other noninterface sites that are present in these catalysts: Mg? O? Mg sites on c‐MgO and Mg? O? Zr sites on c‐Mg_xZr_1?xO_2?x. The very active Mg? O? Zr sites rapidly deactivate in the furfural–acetone condensation due to the leaching of active phases, deposition of heavy hydrocarbonaceous compounds, and hydration of the c‐MgO phase. Nonetheless, these Mg‐Zr materials with very high specific surface areas would be suitable solid catalysts for other relevant reactions catalyzed by strong basic sites in nonaqueous environments.     

Preparation of SiO2-TiO2 Aerogels Using Supercritical Impregnation

The preparation of SiO₂-TiO₂ aerogels by supercritical impregnation of titanium alkoxides into silica alcogels was investigated. A mixture of CO₂ and 2-propanol with dissolved titanium tetraisopropoxide modified with acetylacetone was used as the impregnation medium. Prior to the experiments, the supercritical behaviour of the impregnation solution was investigated. The microstructure and properties of aerogels prepared by the supercritical impregnation method were almost identical to those generated by the liquid impregnation. However, the time for impregnation was substantially decreased and the homogeneity of the impregnated titanium distribution on the aerogel increased.     

常压干燥制备二氧化硅气凝胶*

二氧化硅气凝胶是典型的纳米多孔轻质材料,由于具有独特的性能并在许多领域存在潜在的应用价值而受到广泛关注。二氧化硅气凝胶的制备传统上采用超临界干燥工艺,但此工艺成本高、工艺复杂而且具有一定的危险性。为了实现二氧化硅气凝胶的大批量生产和商品化应用,研究低成本常压干燥制备技术非常必要。目前常压干燥制备工艺已取得了较大进展,本文主要介绍了二氧化硅气凝胶的常压干燥制备方法及其特点,并概述了二氧化硅气凝胶复合材料制备的最新研究进展。以纤维和聚和物为增强体的二氧化硅气凝胶复合材料改善了气凝胶的力学性能,进一步扩宽了其应用范围。     

氧化铁气凝胶的制备及其表征

气凝胶是由纳米量级超细微粒或高聚物分子构成的多孔性固态材料^[1,2],其杨氏模量、声传播速率、折射率、热导率和电导率等均与其宏观密度成标度关系.它拥有反常输运特性、动力学性质和低温热学性质.     

Scalable Template Synthesis of Resorcinol–Formaldehyde/Graphene Oxide Composite Aerogels with Tunable Densities and Mechanical Properties

Resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) and graphene oxide (GO) aerogels have found a variety of applications owing to their excellent properties and remarkable flexibility. However, the macroscopic and controllable synthesis of their composite gels is still a great challenge. By using GO sheets as template skeletons and metal ions (Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, or Ca²⁺) as catalysts and linkers, the first low‐temperature scalable strategy for the synthesis of a new kind of RF–GO composite gel with tunable densities and mechanical properties was developed. The aerogels can tolerate a strain as high as 80 % and quickly recover their original morphology after the compression has been released. Owing to their high compressibility, the gels might find applications in various areas, for example, as adsorbents for the removal of dye pollutants and in oil‐spill cleanup.     

羟基喜树碱-类水滑石纳米杂化的共组装制备及表征

采用共组装法在水溶液中制备羟基喜树碱(HCPT)-层状双金属氢氧化物(LDH)纳米杂化物.先利用微通道反应器通过共沉淀法制备了Zn₂Al-NO₃ LDH纳米片,然后与羧酸盐型HCPT在水介质中共组装,制备了HCPT插层LDH的纳米杂化物.利用酸处理,可将层间HCPT由非生物活性的羧酸盐型转化为生物活性的内酯型,这对高生物活性HCPT-LDH纳米杂化物的绿色制备具有重要意义.共组装法制备HCPT-LDH纳米杂化物,耗时短、载药量高、分散性好,且利用原料配比可方便地调控载药量. HCPT分子在LDH层间以其长轴倾斜于层板呈双层排列.所制备的HCPT-LDH纳米杂化物具有良好的药物缓释性能,颗粒内部扩散是药物释放过程的控速步骤.药物释放过程可用准二级动力学模型描述.可以用于构筑LDH基药物输送-控释体系.     

钕的氢氧化物和氧化物纳米线的制备及表征

以金属钕为起始原料，采用简单的碱性溶液下水热法制备出氢氧化钕纳米线。所得到的水热产物采用X-射线衍射、扫描电镜和透射电镜等进行了结构与形态表征。研究发现，水热处理的温度、碱液浓度和碱的种类等对水热产物的形貌、长径比和结晶状态有较大影响，提高水热温度和增加碱液浓度有利于氢氧化钕纳米线的生长。在相同水热反应温度(180 ℃)、水热时间(45 h)和碱浓度下，5 mol·L^-1 NaOH溶液体系制备的氢氧化钕纳米线具有较高纯度和较长的长径比，其直径为20～40 nm，长度为2～10 μm。该氢氧化钕纳米线在空气气氛下500 ℃烧结后形成具有体心立方结构的C型Nd₂O₃，该Nd₂O₃仍具有一维纳米线形貌。升高焙烧温度时产物的形貌和相结构都发生了明显变化。     

Using NMR in Structural Studies of Aluminum Hydroxide Intercalation Compounds with Lithium Salts

The effect of the anion charge on the structure of [LiAl₂(OH)₆]_nX (X = Cl^-, Br^-, I^-, SO₄ ^2-, C₆H₈O₄ ^2-) intercalation compounds and the water effect on the structure of [LiAl₂(OH)₆]Cl·nH₂O have been studied using ¹H, ⁷Li, and ²⁷Al NMR. A change in the charge on the anion leads to significant changes in the asymmetry parameter for the lithium and aluminum nuclei with relatively small changes in the quadrupolar coupling constant and the broadening factor. The structure of the intermediate [LiAl₂(OH)₆]Cl·0.5H₂O hydrate can be represented as a derivative of the structure of the anhydrous [LiAl₂(OH)₆]Cl intercalate with a slightly increased layer thickness and a minor orthorhombic distortion of the hexagonal cell; the water molecules partially fill the interlayer voids and participate in the diffusion process. Further hydration of the intercalate (x 1) leads to a minor (0.2) increase in the layer thickness and is accompanied by disordering of chloride ions and water molecules in the interlayer space.     

The Sol-Gel Route in Synthesis of Cr(III)-Containing Clays. Comparison Between Mg-Cr and Ni-Cr Anionic Clays

Mg/Cr and Ni/Cr hydrotalcites (HTs) were synthesised by the sol-gel method. This route was for the first time explored for Cr(III)-containing HTs. The hydrotalcite were synthesised starting with magnesium ethoxyde and nickel acetylacetonate, respectively, as divalent cation precursors and chromium acetylacetonate as trivalent cation precursor using basic catalysis (sodium hydroxide). Pure hydrotalcites containing materials with M(II)/Cr(III) = 3 were obtained. The presence of Ni(II) favoured the increasing of hydrotalcite crystallinity. The samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic techniques, DTA/TGA measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The obtained compounds were pure hydrotalcite phases with very similar structural features, but exhibited particularities depending on the M(II) cation. The compounds were nanosized in both cases. The IR spectroscopy evidenced that the Ni(II) samples retained some organic groups on the surface, thus the decomposition processes of the Ni(II) containing sample being different from that of Mg(II) containing one. The decomposition process ended at lower temperature in the case of Ni/Cr hydrotalcite.     

催化动力学光度法测定高纯氧化铝和氢氧化铝中痕量铁

随着氧化铝多品种的发展 ,高纯氧化铝的需求量日益增大 ,对其纯度的要求也越来越高 ,其中铁的含量是衡量高纯氧化铝等级的重要指标之一 ,痕量铁的测定下限要求为 0 .0 0 0 8%。催化动力学光度法是一种高灵敏度、高选择性的分析方法 ,在铁的测定中已有不少报道[1～ 3 ] ,但用紫脲酸铵作还原剂动力学光度法测高纯氧化铝、氢氧化铝中铁还未见报道。本文研究了在 ｐＨ 5 .2～ 5 .7的ＨＯＡＣ ＮａＯＡＣ缓冲介质中 ,Ｆｅ3 + 对过氧化氢氧化紫脲酸铵有明显的催化作用 ,加入 1,10 ｐｈｅｎ后 ,催化作用大大增强。据此研究了适宜催化反应条件 ,建…     

块状TiO2/SiO2气凝胶的非超临界干燥法制备及其表征

分别通过TiO2和SiO2的单独溶胶和TiO2/SiO2复合凝胶,并添加干燥控制化学添加剂甲酰胺,形成比较完善的凝胶网络结构,同时通过正硅酸乙酯的乙醇溶液浸泡,低表面张力溶剂替换和分级陈化以及干燥等步骤,实现了块状TiO2/SiO2复合气凝胶的非超临界干燥制备.所得TiO2/SiO2气凝胶为无色或乳白色轻质块状多孔固体,表观密度约0.4～0.9g/cm3,孔隙率约80%～95%.它由直径约10nm的TiO2和SiO2微粒相互分散复合而成,孔洞直径约几十纳米.其相态SiO2为无定形,TiO2为锐钛矿晶型.随着焙烧温度的升高,直到800℃不发生相变化.     

Novel Siloxane-Silica Nanocomposite Aerogels and Xerogels

Novel covalently bonded silicone-silica nanocomposite network materials have been synthesized from a single component molecular precursor. A novel polymeric sol-gel precursor was prepared by hydrosilation of oligo(methylvinylsiloxane) with triethoxysilane and it was applied in sol-gel processing for the synthesis of silicone-silica based gel networks. Acid/base catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation reactions were performed from solutions of the pure macro precursor as well as from mixtures of this precursor with tetraalkoxysilanes followed by either supercritical drying with liquid carbon dioxide or drying at ambient conditions. In both cases monolithic gels as well as powders were obtained and properties such as porosity, surface area and thermal stability have been investigated. Solid state (CP MAS) ²⁹Si-NMR were used to evaluate the chemical composition and extent of condensation of the gels.     

Structural Efficiency and Microstructural Modeling of Wet Gels and Aerogels

We present a microstructural model of aerogels that includes the effect of particle necks, tortuosity and dangling ends on the scaling of elastic moduli with density. Relative neck radii can be determined for sintering series of silica aerogels and for Resorcinol Formaldehyde (RF) aerogels produced with different catalyst concentrations. The density of elastically ineffective dangling ends and the tortuosity can be estimated using information from thermal conductivity and elastic modulus measurements in silica aerogels. Typical values for the load bearing mass range from >50% for high density and heat treated aerogels to <10% of the total mass for low density wet-gels.     

Scaling Properties and Structure of Aerogels

Young’s modulus as well as solid thermal and electrical conductivity of aerogels have been observed to scale with density. No quantitative explanations were available up to now for these experimental findings. To establish a quantitive relationship between morphological and topological features of fractal gel networks, a simulation procedure is introduced that allows to produce three-dimensional gel structures, from which two important parameters can be extracted: i) the fraction α of interconnected mass of the gel network and ii) the ratio γ of Pythagorean distance to minimum path length on the gel backbone. Surprisingly the product αγ, which enters important macroscopic parameters such as elasticity or solid thermal (and electrical) conductivity, was found to scale with an exponent that is only a function of the mass fractal dimensionD. Also, an analytical relation between modulus and conductivity can be derived.     

Synthesis of Silica Aerogels: Influence of the Supercritical CO2 on the Sol-Gel Process

The synthesis of silica aerogels was modified by addition of supercritical CO₂ during the sol-gel process. It was shown, that CO₂ acts as a catalyst and accelerates the gelation significantly. This effect was studied under a multitude of experimental conditions. The influence of the precursor concentration, temperature and the nature of the catalysts and solvent on the gel formation in presence of CO₂ was studied. Several gels obtained by this method were dried and transparent silica aerogels were produced.