{"id":6573,"date":"2020-08-21T16:57:21","date_gmt":"2020-08-21T15:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=6573"},"modified":"2021-03-30T14:49:34","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T13:49:34","slug":"innovation-in-silica-aerogels-solutions-to-insulation-and-energy-storage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/innovation-in-silica-aerogels-solutions-to-insulation-and-energy-storage\/6573\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation in silica aerogels \u2013 solutions to insulation and energy storage"},"content":{"rendered":"
Silica aerogels are low density solid nanomaterials<\/a> with a highly porous surface area. Silica aerogels are commonly used in thermal insulation, catalysis, optical devices, and environmental remediation (reducing radiation exposure) due to their ultralow thermal conductivity and open pore structure.<\/p>\n One setback for the wider adoption of silica aerogels is their lack of flexibility. To overcome this, some material scientists strengthen the structure using fibre reinforcements and binders. However, their poor machinability and inability to precisely cast small objects limits their miniaturisation potential for smaller devices.<\/p>\n Silica aerogels are produced when liquid is extracted from the framework of silica gel in a way that typically preserves 99% of the gel framework\u2019s original volume. This is often made possible using techniques called supercritical drying and ambient.<\/p>\n Supercritical drying can produce silica aerogels by transforming the liquid present in the material into gas. In the absence of surface tension and capillary stress, this procedure can dry silica aerogels without destroying the material\u2019s nanostructured pore network. Supercritical drying is used in other scientific disciplines in order to dry biological specimens, such as insects and amphibians.<\/p>\nThe synthesis of aerogels<\/h3>\n
Supercritical drying<\/h4>\n