Non-supercritical drying synthesis of hydrophobic, low-density, and high surface area silica aerogel using a sonication technique

Replacing the solvent in silica aerogel production with air is critical in getting the desired physical properties. Even though drying by evaporation under ambient pressure is thought to be the simplest way, it shrinks and collapses the gel network. In this research, uniform sol was prepared by sonication at room temperature. The surface of the developed wet gel was modified with trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) after solvent exchange. The prepared aerogels underwent various characterization techniques to evaluate their functional, structural, morphological, surface, and thermal properties. The textural and physical characteristics of prepared silica aerogel were examined in relation to the precursor concentration, catalysts that affect the density of silica aerogel, volumetric shrinkage, and gelation time. The silica aerogel was found thermally stable up to 800 °C while hydrophobicity retained up to 350 °C. The contact angle of prepared aerogels confirms their hydrophobic nature. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) results demonstrate the porous nature of silica aerogel. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis revealed that the surface area and the pore radius were 784 m2/g and 36 Å, respectively.