Flexible Aerogels

Presenter Information

Patrick McCarver

Department

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Major

Chemical Engineering

Research Advisor

Sotiriou-Leventis, Lia

Advisor's Department

Chemistry

Funding Source

Missouri S&T Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) Program; United States Army Research Office (W911NF-10-1-0476)

Abstract

Aerogels are open-pore, ultra-low density solids with very high surface areas, low thermal conductivities, high acoustic impedance, and low dielectric constants. Because of these properties, aerogels are attractive multifunctional materials for applications in aerospace, automotive, chemical, and construction industries. However, aerogels are often rigid and fragile. That is addressed herein with two different types of polyurethane aerogels, where flexibility is imparted by varying the chemical structure and concentration of the monomers.

These flexible aerogels may find use in highly insulating clothing for divers, astronauts, and mountain climbers. Their high surface area may find applications as catalyst supports, in microfluidic devices used in biotechnology, and in fuel cells. Importantly, the impressive strength-to-weight ratio of higher-density polyurethane aerogels renders them attractive as energy absorbers for defense applications.

Biography

Patrick is a Junior in Chemical Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. In his spare time he enjoys reading and writing science fiction, playing board games, and browsing Wikipedia endlessly. Patrick is also President of the campus chapter of Toastmasters International.

Research Category

Sciences

Presentation Type

Poster Presentation

Document Type

Poster

Award

2012-13 OURE Fellows / Award Recipient

Location

Upper Atrium/Hallway

Presentation Date

10 Apr 2012, 9:00 am - 11:45 am

Comments

Joint project with Clayton Buback

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Apr 10th, 9:00 AM Apr 10th, 11:45 AM

Flexible Aerogels

Upper Atrium/Hallway

Aerogels are open-pore, ultra-low density solids with very high surface areas, low thermal conductivities, high acoustic impedance, and low dielectric constants. Because of these properties, aerogels are attractive multifunctional materials for applications in aerospace, automotive, chemical, and construction industries. However, aerogels are often rigid and fragile. That is addressed herein with two different types of polyurethane aerogels, where flexibility is imparted by varying the chemical structure and concentration of the monomers.

These flexible aerogels may find use in highly insulating clothing for divers, astronauts, and mountain climbers. Their high surface area may find applications as catalyst supports, in microfluidic devices used in biotechnology, and in fuel cells. Importantly, the impressive strength-to-weight ratio of higher-density polyurethane aerogels renders them attractive as energy absorbers for defense applications.