Microstructural Dependence Of Aerogel Mechanical Properties

Aerogels are highly porous solids derived from the hypercritical drying of covalently crosslinked gels. SEM, TEM and scattering studies reveal that these materials have an open-cell morphology with a solid matrix composed of interconnected colloidal-like particles (30–200 A) Processing variables and synthetic conditions largely determine the microstructure and morphology. In this study, the structure-mechanical property relationships of silica, resorcinolformaldehyde, and carbon aerogels are examined.