Evolution of Silica Aerogels

Sherer, G.W., Calas, S., and Sempere, R., Densification kinetics and structural evolution during sintering of silica aerogel, J. Non-Crystl. Solids, 240, 118, 1998. 

Figure 20.22. Left Change of the average size of pores (calculated from SAXS data) of mixed titania-silica aerogels upon first sintering stages. Right simplified model of the evolution of sono-aerogels upon first densification steps. Adapted with permission from [30],...

Figure 26.6. Evolution of the effective thermal conductivity X of some monolithic silica aerogels (as measured by the hot-disk method under ambient conditions) [28].

Over the decades since it was first discovered, researchers have studied extensively to improve the properties of the final product and as well as reduce the high cost of production by synthesizing with alternative materials (Morris et al. 1999). The evolution of the silica aerogels over the past three decades will be discussed in the following sections. 

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