title: Low-cost and fast synthesis of nanoporous silica cryogels for thermal insulation applications.
abstract: Nanoporous silica cryogels with a high specific surface area of 1095 m2g-1were fabricated using tert-butyl alcohol as a reaction solvent, via a cost-effective sol-gel process followed by vacuum freeze drying. The total time of cryogel production was reduced markedly to one day. The molar ratio of solvent/precursor, which was varied from 5 to 13, significantly affected the porous structure and thermal insulating properties of the cryogels. The silica cryogels with low densities in the range of 0.08-0.18 g cm-3and thermal conductivities as low as 6.7 mW (m·K)-1at 100 Pa and 28.3 mW (m·K)-1at 105Pa were obtained using this new technique.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Li Fen
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; Materials R&D Laboratory, Japan Fine Ceramics Centre, 2-4-1 Mutsuno, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya 456-8587, Japan.
authors.forename: Sakae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanemura
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy and Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
keywords: 10.1; 20.11; silica cryogels; tert-butyl alcohol; thermal insulating; vacuum freeze drying