Synthesis of surfactant-templated aerogels with tunable nanoporosity

IEC 192

Ahmad AlGhamdi, Sermin Sunol, and Aydin Sunol. Chemical Engineering Department, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620
Thermally stable nickel alumina surfactant templated aerogel catalyst for environmentally responsive applications was synthesized. The strength, thermal stability, and pore structure and morphology are key to wider deployment of aerogels. Furthermore, functionalization of the surfaces are equally if not more important. These issues are addressed through successful use of surfactant templating, supercritical drying, and supercritical fluid aided functionalization of the surface. Initially thermally stable surfactant alumina was synthesized. The surfactant was removed completely with the aid of a supercritical solvent mixture. The support, alumina, is subsequently impregnated with nickel. XRD and BET/pore measurements were used to follow the removal of solvents and templates as well as tracking the textural properties for the synthesized gel. EDS and SEM were employed to study the distribution of the nickel on the alumina support and the percentage was compared with the starting mixture of the sol gels.