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Aerogels are porous materials that are produced by sol-gel polycondensation reactions. A common feature of all aerogels is their small inter-connected pores. The aerogel chemical composition, nanostructure and physical properties can be controlled at the nanometer scale due to sol-gel processing.
There are three major types of aerogels: inorganic, organic and carbon aerogels. Inorganic aerogels are obtained by supercritical drying of highly cross-linked and transparent hydrogels synthesized by polycondensation of metal alkoxides. Silica aerogels are the most well known inorganic aerogels. Organic aerogels are synthesized by supercritical drying of the gels obtained by the sol-gel polycondensation reaction of resorcinol with formaldehyde in aqueous solutions. Carbon aerogels are prepared by pyrolyzing such organic aerogels in an inert atmosphere.
Incorporation of additives into aerogels results in materials that are called aerogel composites. The role of the additives is to enhance the properties of pure aerogels or to impart additional desirable properties depending on the application.
Aerogel Composite, LLC has patented the nanotechnology for the preparation of aerogel composites for a wide variety of applications. Our flagship product is a platinum loaded carbon aerogel nanocomposite for use as an electrocatalyst in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Below is a graphic depicting the process of aerogel formation using sol-gel technology. |
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