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Precursor Chemistry and the Structure of Silica Aerogels*
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Abstract
Small-angle X-ray scattering is used to characterize the structure of aerogels prepared by two-stage polymerization processes. Second-stage catalysis controls the resistance to collapse during drying with the base-catalyzed system being most resistant. Base catalysis in the second stage leads to compaction of the polymer network on short length scales. This short-scale rigidity makes the networks sufficiently robust to withstand the surface tension forces present during solvent extraction and re-exposure to the atmosphere. Aging in solution also improves aerogel quality. In this case, a dissolution-repolymerization process leads to short length scale circuits and improved rigidity.
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- Copyright © Materials Research Society 1988
Footnotes
B. Chu gratefully acknowledge support of this work by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-FG-02-87ER45237AO01 and the SUNY Beamline under Contract No. DE-FG-02-86ER45231A001 and National Synchrotron Light Source under Contract No. DE-ACO2-76CH00016.
J. C. Phillips gratefully acknowledge support of this work by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-FG-02-87ER45237AO01 and the SUNY Beamline under Contract No. DE-FG-02-86ER45231A001 and National Synchrotron Light Source under Contract No. DE-ACO2-76CH00016.
This work performed at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC-04-76DP00789 for the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science.
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