Rapid and inexpensive synthesis of liter-scale SiC aerogels.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 39138207.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-51278-w and PMC identifier 11322506.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
Ceramic aerogels are promising materials for thermal insulation and protection under harsh environments. Yet current synthesis methods fail to provide an energy-, time-, and cost-effective route for high-throughput production and large-scale applications, especially for non-oxide ceramic aerogels. Here we reported a way to synthesize SiC aerogels within seconds and over liter scale, with a demonstrated throughput of ~16 L min<sup>-1</sup> in a typical lab experiment. The key lies in renovated combustion synthesis and a fast expansion from powder reactants to aerogel products over 1000% in volume. The synthesis process is self-sustainable and requires minimal energy input. The product is very cheap, with an estimated price of ~$0.7 L<sup>-1</sup> (~$7 kg<sup>-1</sup>). The obtained SiC aerogels have excellent thermo-mechanical properties, including low thermal conductivity, high elasticity, and damage tolerance. Our invention not only offers a practical pathway for large-scale applications of ceramic aerogels, but also calls for rethinking of combustion synthesis in one-step conversion from raw chemicals to bulk products ready for practical applications.