The effect of graphene-nanoplatelets on gelation and structural integrity of a polyvinyltrimethoxysilane-based aerogel. Issue 20 (12th April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Karamikamkar, Solmaz; Abidli, Abdelnasser; Behzadfar, Ehsan; Rezaei, Sasan; Naguib, Hani E.; Park, Chul B.
• Is Part Of: RSC advances. Volume 9:Issue 20(2019)
• Page Start: 11503
• Page End: 11520
• Publication Date: 2019-04-12
• Subjects: Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540.5
• DOI: 10.1039/c9ra00994a
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-2069

Abstract

Abstract : Aerogels suffer greatly from poor mechanical properties resulting from their particulate structure. Abstract : Aerogels suffer greatly from poor mechanical properties resulting from their particulate structure. They also experience noticeable pore shrinkage during drying due to their low structural integrity. These shortfalls limit their broad application. To enhance the mechanical properties and improve the structural integrity of silica-based aerogels, graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs), as a nanofiller, were embedded into the solution of polymerized vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) to prepare P-VTMS-based silica/GnP (PE-b-Si/GnP) hybrid aerogel monoliths based on sol–gel synthesis and supercritical drying. The inclusion of GnPs in our polymer-based silica aerogel processes reinforced the nanostructure and suppressed PE-b-Si nanopore shrinkage during supercritical drying, thus acting as an effective anti-shrinkage nanofiller. Accordingly, the GnPs significantly contributed to the PE-b-Si solution's uniform gelation and to the change of the hydrophilic nature to a hydrophobic one even with 1 wt% addition. In this study, the influence of the GnP content on the sol–gel process, structure, and physical properties of PE-based silica aerogels is studied.