Robust Silica-Agarose Composite Aerogels with Interpenetrating Network Structure by In Situ Sol-Gel Process.

ABSTRACT: Aerogels are three-dimensional nanoporous materials with outstanding properties, especially great thermal insulation. Nevertheless, their extremely high brittleness restricts their practical application. Recently, although the mechanical properties of silica aerogels have been improved by regulating the precursor or introducing a polymer reinforcer, these preparation processes are usually tedious and time-consuming. The purpose of this study was to simplify the preparation process of these composite aerogels. A silicic acid solution treated with cation exchange resin was mixed with agarose (AG) to gel in situ, and then composite aerogels (CAs) with an interpenetrating network (IPN) structure were obtained by aging and supercritical CO₂ fluid (SCF) drying. Compared to previous wo

SUBMITTER: Yang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9141877 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature