Research Information System
2nd International Conference on Aerogels for Biomedical and Environmental Applications, Athens, Greece, 29 June - 01 July 2022, pp.113-114, (Summary Text)
Silica aerogels have a surface that allows easy addition of functional groups that provide many desired modifications and changes. Silica aerogel can be produced in hydrophilic and hydrophobic character. This feature makes it possible to use it in many different application areas. On the other hand, due to the low density (∼0.003 g/cm3) of silica aerogels, they are known as insulation materials with thermal conductivity (0.017-0.021 W/mK) even lower than air [1], [2]. Therefore, in recent years, some composite materials have been produced by combining silica aerogel and polymer materials to take advantage of silica aerogels [3]. Polyurethane materials are a material that is formed by mixing the polyol system and the appropriate isocyanate in certain proportions and has a wide use in the field of insulation. Polyurethane materials can be produced in different densities and according to the desired use. The availability of ergonomic products in terms of design and the ability to produce lighter designs are the reasons for the preference for polyurethane materials [4]. By making a polyurethane and silica aerogel composite, the thermal insulation power of the material can be increased.
In this study, hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica aerogels were produced using different production methods and modification agents. Rigid polyurethane was synthesized with polyols with different functional groups and isocyanate. Different percentages of the produced silica aerogels were reacted during the polyurethane composite synthesis. The pore volume, pore size, and specific surface area of mesoporous hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica aerogels were characterized by using FTIR, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) analysis, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET). Thermal conductivity values of composite products were also measured.