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We report a method to synthesize low-density transparent mesoporous silica aerogel beads by ambient pressure drying (APD). The beads were prepared by acid–base sol–gel polymerization of sodium silicate in via the ball dropping method (BDM). To minimize shrinkage during drying, wet silica beads were initially prepared; their surfaces were then modified using trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) via simultaneous solvent exchange and surface modification. The specific surface area and cumulative pore volume of the silica aerogel beads increased with an increase in the %V of TMCS. Silica aerogel beads with low packing bed density, high surface area, and large cumulative pore volume was obtained when TMCS was used. Properties of the final product were examined by BET, and TG–DT analyses. The hydrophobic silica aerogel beads were thermally stable up to 350°C. We discuss our results and compare our findings for modified versus unmodified silica beads.

Liquid crystal composite materials with tunable physical properties are of great scientific interest because of optoelectronic and biomedical applications. We report our study of modified optical properties of 5CB Nematic Liquid Crystal (NLC) by doping with ferrofluid at low concentrations of 0.1% by the investigation of thermo optic behaviour. The observed sensitivity of optical response in ferrofluid doped NLC is expected to pave way for several thermo-optic applications.