Silica Aerogel Blanket Processing Without Solvent Substitution
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for preparing silica aerogel-containing blankets are complex, costly, and inefficient due to the need for solvent substitution and surface modification steps, which consume large amounts of organic solvents and expensive surface modifiers, limiting their commercialization and mechanical strength.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the mixing of a water glass solution, a polar organic solvent, and a silazane-based surface modifier to prepare a sol, followed by immersion and gelation of a base material, and subsequent drying, which omits the solvent substitution and surface modification steps, allowing for the production of a hydrophobic silica aerogel with high hydrophobicity and excellent physical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional solvent substitution and surface modification steps are used, then hydrophobicity and mechanical strength are improved, but process complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines solvent substitution and surface modification into a single integrated step by adding both organic solvent and surface modifier simultaneously to the aqueous silica sol. This merging eliminates the need for separate sequential steps, reducing process complexity while achieving both hydrophobicity and mechanical strength improvements.
Solution Approach 2:
The organic solvent and surface modifier are introduced during the sol preparation stage before gelation occurs. This preliminary action allows the surface modifier to interact with the silica network during formation, ensuring uniform distribution and effective hydrophobicity without requiring subsequent separate modification steps.
2Reliability
If conventional solvent substitution and surface modification steps are used, then hydrophobicity and mechanical strength are improved, but processing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging solvent substitution and surface modification into one simultaneous step, the patent eliminates the sequential time requirements of separate operations. The organic solvent and surface modifier are added together to the aqueous sol, and both functions are achieved during a single processing cycle, significantly reducing total processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The continuous addition of organic solvent and surface modifier during sol preparation maintains uninterrupted useful action throughout the process. The surface modification occurs continuously as the gel forms, eliminating idle time between discrete steps and maintaining productive action throughout the entire processing sequence.
3Quantity of substance
If water glass is used as silica precursor, then cost is reduced, but solvent substitution step becomes necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The organic solvent acts as an intermediary that enables the use of water glass as a precursor. By introducing the organic solvent during sol preparation, it facilitates the displacement of water from the silica network and enables subsequent surface modification, allowing cost-effective water glass to produce hydrophobic aerogels without requiring separate solvent substitution steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the compositional parameters of the sol by adding organic solvent and surface modifier to the aqueous water glass solution. This parameter change transforms the system from requiring separate solvent substitution to achieving both solvent replacement and surface modification simultaneously, eliminating process steps while maintaining cost effectiveness.
4Strength
If alkoxide is used as silica precursor, then mechanical properties are improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite sol system combining water glass (inorganic precursor) with organic solvent and surface modifier. This composite approach allows the inorganic water glass to provide the base silica structure with good mechanical properties, while the organic components enhance hydrophobicity and surface properties, achieving balanced performance at lower cost than pure alkoxide precursors.
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 enables the production of a silica aerogel-containing blanket with low thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical flexibility, reducing the use of organic solvents and surface modifiers, thereby improving processing efficiency and cost-effectiveness while maintaining high porosity and hydrophobicity.
Implementation Method 1
mixing a water glass solution, a polar organic solvent, and a silazane-based surface modifier to prepare a sol; preparing a silica gel-base material composite by immersion and gelation
Implementation Method 2
forming and including a hydrophobic silica aerogel having a high degree of hydrophobicity by the minimal use of a surface modifier without separate solvent substitution and surface modification steps
Implementation Method 3
drying the silica gel-base material composite
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a preparation method of a silica aerogel-containing blanket which includes mixing a water glass solution, a polar organic solvent, and a silazane-based surface modifier to prepare a sol, preparing a silica gel-base material composite by immersion and gelation of a base material for a blanket in the sol, and drying the silica gel-base material composite, and a silica aerogel-containing blanket prepared by using the preparation method.A silica aerogel-containing blanket having a high degree of hydrophobicity as well as excellent physical properties, particularly, low tap density, high porosity, and excellent mechanical flexibility may be prepared by the minimal use of a surface modifier without a surface modification step by the above method.