Silica Aerogel Blanket Composition Without Wet Aging or Surface Modification
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing silica aerogel blankets are inefficient due to the need for a wet aging step and a surface modification step, which consume large amounts of organic solvents, generate ammonium carbonate salts, and increase production costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A method for manufacturing silica aerogel blankets using a silica sol with a catalyst composition that includes a hydrophobizing agent, a base catalyst, water, and an organic solvent, allowing for the omission of the wet aging and surface modification steps, thereby simplifying the process and reducing energy expenditure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a wet aging step and surface modification step are performed separately, then the structure of aerogel is reinforced and hydrophobicity is achieved, but the process becomes cumbersome and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the wet aging step and surface modification step into a single integrated step by incorporating the hydrophobizing agent directly into the catalyst composition. This allows simultaneous structure reinforcement and hydrophobicity achievement without separate processing steps, thereby improving productivity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The catalyst composition is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the aging catalyst and the source of hydrophobizing agents. The composition includes base catalyst, water, organic solvent, and hydrophobizing agent, enabling one step to accomplish what previously required two separate steps, thus enhancing productivity.
2Reliability
If a surface modification step using organic solvent and surface modifier is performed, then hydrophobicity is achieved, but the process becomes complex and long, reducing economic feasibility and productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the surface modification function into the aging step by including the hydrophobizing agent in the catalyst composition. This eliminates the need for a separate surface modification step with its associated complexity and duration, while still achieving the required hydrophobicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the hydrophobizing agent function from the separate surface modification step and integrates it into the catalyst composition. This removes the complexity and time associated with the separate surface modification step while maintaining the hydrophobicity outcome.
3Reliability
If ammonia is generated during surface modification and wet aging, then structure reinforcement and hydrophobicity are achieved, but ammonium carbonate salt forms during supercritical drying, blocking piping and reducing process efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the catalyst system by incorporating hydrophobizing agents that do not generate ammonia. This parameter change eliminates the source of ammonia while maintaining the structural reinforcement and hydrophobicity functions, thereby preventing ammonium carbonate salt formation during supercritical drying.
4Reliability
If wet aging is performed in the presence of base catalyst solution, then structure reinforcement is achieved, but residual ammonia in waste liquid requires long purification and increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition of the catalyst system by using hydrophobizing agents that do not produce ammonia. This eliminates the need for lengthy ammonia removal and purification processes from waste liquid, significantly reducing purification time and costs while maintaining structure reinforcement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method reduces the generation of ammonium carbonate salts, minimizes the amount of ammonia in waste liquids, and enhances the reuse efficiency of waste liquids, resulting in a more cost-effective and efficient production process with improved hydrophobicity of the silica aerogel blankets.
Implementation Method 1
a catalyst composition, wherein the catalyst composition includes a hydrophobizing agent, a base catalyst, water, and an organic solvent
Implementation Method 2
preparing a hydrogel from a silica precursor such as water glass and an alkoxysilane group
Implementation Method 3
a hydrophobic silica aerogel blanket in which a hydrophobic silica aerogel is formed in a fiber
Implementation Method 4
removing a liquid component inside the hydrogel without destroying a microstructure
Data Source
AI summary
A silica sol, a silica aerogel blanket using the same, and a method for manufacturing the same, wherein a hydrophobizing agent, a base catalyst, an organic solvent, and water are included in a catalyst composition when manufacturing the silica aerogel blanket, so that a wet aging step which is performed under high-temperature conditions and increases the amount of a solvent used, surface modification step which uses a large amount of an organic solvent and an expensive surface modifier, resulting in a process that is complex and long and thus inhibiting economic feasibility and productivity, can be omitted.