Springback effect of ambient-pressure-dried silica aerogels: nanoscopic effects of silylation revealed by in situ synchrotron X-ray scattering.

ABSTRACT: Ambient pressure drying (APD) allows for synthesizing aerogels without expensive and sophisticated equipment for achieving supercritical conditions. Since APD does not eliminate the capillary stress that is induced by the liquid/vapour phase boundary, the shrinkage during drying needs to be prevented or reversed. The re-expansion of the silylated silica gels during drying is commonly referred to as the springback effect (SBE). The SBE is not only important for producing aerogels via APD, but is also a fascinating phenomenon, since it is accompanied by a significant volume change unusual for rigid ceramics. Synchrotron X-ray scattering has proven to be especially effective for the investigation of the volume change of these fractal silica structures on different length scales. In thi

SUBMITTER: Zemke F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10729877 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature