Crosslinked Templated Mesoporous Silica Aerogels as Multifunctional Materials

Abstract

Aerogels have high thermal insulation, high acoustic attenuation, and high specific strength. Their applications, however, are limited due to such problems as fragility and hydrophilicity. To resolve these problems, polymers are used to nanoencapsulate the templated silica nanoparticles, forming crosslinked templated aerogels. As a result, the mesoporous structure of the aerogels is maintained, thus providing high thermal insulation and acoustic attenuation associated with the bi-continuous mesoporous structures. The mechanical properties of these aerogels are measured. Results indicate that templated mesoporous aerogels have superior mechanical properties, with the specific energy absorption reaching 197 J/g. We perceive this work as a paradigm in the design of porous nanostructured materials, comprising three degrees of freedom, namely the chemical identity of the nanoparticles, the crosslinking polymer and the nanostructure morphology.

Department(s)

Chemistry

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2008 Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2008

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