Production of hollow aerogel microspheres

Patent · Tue Jul 13 00:00:00 EDT 1993

OSTI ID:6205310

Upadhye, R S; Henning, S A

A process is described for preparing hollow aerogel microspheres, comprising the steps of: reacting metal alkoxide with water and base catalyst in alcohol solvent until a viscous alcogel is attained; forming a drop of viscous alcogel; injecting inert gas and base catalyst into the drop, at the time of drop formation, to form a hollow alcogel microsphere; blowing the hollow alcogel microsphere free of the viscous alcogel to fall into an atmosphere of inert gas and base catalyst; capturing said hollow alcogel microsphere on foam; and subjecting said hollow alcogel microsphere to supercritical drying to form a hollow aerogel microsphere of 800-1,200 [mu]m diameter with a wall thickness of 100-300 [mu]m and a wall density of 0.03 to 0. 3 g/cm[sup 3].

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5227239; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-620123
• OSTI ID: 6205310
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: 30 Nov 1990
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
GELS
FABRICATION
ALKOXIDES
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DROPLETS
DRYING
FOAMS
RARE GASES
SIZE
SOLVENTS
SPHERES
SUPERCRITICAL STATE
WATER
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GASES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
360601* - Other Materials- Preparation & Manufacture