Production of hollow aerogel microspheres

Patent · Tue Jul 13 04:00:00 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
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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