• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.34 no.9
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• pp.969-978
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• 1997

The properties of microstructure, hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, and thermal conduction of pure/opacified silica aerogels synthesized by the sol-gel supercritical drying technique were investigated. The hydrophobic surface of opacified silica aerogels doped with carbon (0.13 g/cm3 density, 94% porosity, 580 m2/g specific surface area) transformed to hydrophilic surface after heat-treated above 30$0^{\circ}C$. The values of compressive modulus (1.85 MPa) and strength (0.5 MPa) of opacfied silica aerogels were about 20 times higher than those of pure silica aerogels. The mechanical properties of pure silica aerogels heat-treated at $700^{\circ}C$ were also considerably improved without changing their porosity and density. Particularly, compressive modulus and compressive strength of pure silica aerogels GPSed under 100$0^{\circ}C$ and 80 bar were improved 140 and 37 times, respectively. Thermal conductivities of pure/opacified silica aerogels measured at room temperature and 227$^{\circ}C$ were about 0.013 and 0.019 W/m.K, respectively, and were to be found very low value of 0.004 W/m.K below 10 torr pressure at room temperature.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.159-166
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• 1999

The physical properties and microstructural changes with heat-treatment of opacified silica aerogels doped by TiO2 were investigated. Monolithic SiO2-TiO2 aerogels were prepared by supercritical drying (25$0^{\circ}C$, 1250 psig) of wet gel obtained by adding titanium isopropoxide to prehydrolyzed TEOS-isopropanol solutions. The density and the porosity of SiO2-10 mol% TiO2 aerogels were 0.23 g/㎤ and 90%, respectively. During supercritical drying, the linear shrinkage of aerogels increased with increase in the titanium content an TiO2 was transformed to the anatase phase as well as particls agglomerates led to TiO2 clusters of 100~800 nm dispersed homogeneoulsy in the silica matrix. The IR transmittance of opacified silica aerogels was very low in the region of wavelengths below 8 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ compared with pure silica aerogels and SiO2-TiO2 aerogels showed the high thermal stability of microstructures up to $600^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.829-834
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• 1999

The silica aerogels opacified via adding oxides were prepared by the sol-gel supercritical drying technique and their characteristics of mechanical strength and thermal conduction were investigated. The compressive strength of SiO2-10 mol% TiO2 and SiO2-10mol% Fe2O3 aerogels were 0.11 and 0.047 MP a respectively much higher than 0.025 MPa of pure silica aerogels. The thermal conductivity of silica aerogels opacified by TiO2 was as low as 0.02505 W/m${\cdot}$K at $400^{\circ}C$ It was found that the TiO2 -opacifier for improving mechanical strength and suppressing high temperature conduction of pure silica aerogels was more effective than the Fe2O3 -opacifier