Silica Aerogel Prepared from Polyethoxydisiloxanes

Nano-porous material SiO 2 aerogels were made by using industrial silicon derivatives (polyethoxydisiloxanes,E-40) obtained by the catalytic reaction of methanol and silicon.The influence of catalyst,temperature and water on the gelation precess is investigated.The effects of the HF and water on the hydrogenation and condensation of the E-40 are discussed.The microstructure of the silica aerogels is also tested by using pore size distribution,TEM techniques.The results show that the diameter of the skeletal particles is more than 10nm while the pore size is about 30nm and some is less than 3nm.