Authors: Uzma K H Bangi A Parvathy Rao H Hirashima A Venkateswara Rao
Publish Date: 2009/01/23
Volume: 50, Issue: 1, Pages: 87-97
Abstract
Experimental results on the physicochemical properties of ambiently dried sodium silicate based aerogels catalyzed with various acids are reported The aerogels were prepared by hydrolysis and polycondensation of sodium silicate followed by subsequent washings surface chemical modification and ambient pressure drying using 10 various acid catalysts consisting of strong and weak acids The strength and concentration of acids have the major effect on the gelation of sol and hence the physicochemical properties of the silica aerogels Strong acids such as HCl HNO3 and H2SO4 resulted in shrunk 70–95 aerogels whereas weak acids such as citric and tartaric acids resulted in less shrunk 34–50 aerogels The physical properties of silica aerogels were studied by measuring bulk density volume shrinkage porosity pore volume thermal conductivity contact angle with water Transmission Electron Microscopy TEM Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy AAS Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy FTIR Thermo GravimetricDifferential Thermal TGDT analyses and N2 adsorption–desorption BET surface analyzer The best quality silica aerogels in terms of low density 0086 g/cm3 low volume shrinkage 34 high porosity 95 low thermal conductivity 009 W/m K and hydrophobic 148° were obtained for molar ratio of Na2SiO3H2Ocitric acidTMCS at 114667072946 with 20 min gelation time The resulting aerogels exhibited the thermal stability up to around 420 °CThe authors are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology DST New Delhi Government of India for the financial support for this work through a major research project on “Aerogels” No SR/S2/CMR67/2006 Dr A Parvathy Rao and Uzma K H Bangi are highly thankful to the DST for providing the Research Associate RA and Junior Research Fellowship JRF
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