Method and apparatus for manufacturing aerogel sheet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10850987-B2
Application number	US-201715565017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2017
Priority date	Jan 19, 2016
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an aerogel sheet. The method for manufacturing an aerogel sheet includes: a step (a) of preparing silica sol; a step (b) of preparing a gelling catalyst; a step (c) of injecting the silica sol, which is prepared in the step (a), to a surface of a blanket to impregnate the silica sol; and a step (d) of injecting the gelling catalyst, which is prepared in the step (b), to the surface of the blanket, into which the silica sol is impregnated, to gelate the silica sol.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing an aerogel sheet, the method comprising:
a step (a) of preparing silica sol;
a step (h) of preparing a gelling catalyst;

a step (c) of injecting the silica sol, which is prepared in the step (a), to a surface of a blanket disposed on a conveyor belt to impregnate the blanket with the silica sol, wherein the conveyor belt comprises a first scraper for adjusting a thickness of the silica sol injected to the surface of the blanket;
a step (d) of injecting the gelling catalyst, which is prepared in the step (b), to the surface of the blanket, into which the silica sol is impregnated, to gelate the silica sol, wherein the conveyor belt comprises a second scraper adjusting a thickness of the gelling catalyst injected to the surface of the blanket;
a step (e) of aging, the blanket in which the silica sol is gelated;
a step (f) of injecting a coating solution to the aged blanket to modify a surface of the blanket, wherein the coating solution is prepared by mixing ethanol with ammonia water (NH 4 OH);
the first scraper and the second scraper may have the same shape and be installed to be adjustable in height on a top surface of the conveyor belt to uniformly adjust the thickness of each of the silica sol and the gelling catalyst,
wherein, in the step (d), the gelling catalyst is injected to the surface of the blanket 10 at a rate of 0.035 L/min to 0.012 L/min to leave the gelling catalyst for a time of 8 minutes to 12 minutes and thereby to gelate the silica sol.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in the step (a), tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and ethanol are mixed to prepare the silica sol.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) comprises hydrolyzed TEOS.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in the step (b), ethanol and ammonia water (NH 4 OH) are mixed to prepare the gelling catalyst.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in the step (e), the blanket in which the silica sol is gelated is aged at a temperature of 70′C and aged for 50 minutes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in the sheet aging step (e), the blanket in which the silica sol is gelated is left at room temperature for 10 minutes to perform the aging.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein, in the step (f), the coating solution is injected with 1.6 times of the silica sol impregnated into the surface of the blanket, and the aging is performed at a high temperature of 70° C. for one hour in a reaction vessel to modify the surface of the blanket by using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS).

8. The method of claim 1 , after the step (f), further comprising a step (g) of drying the blanket of which the surface is modified.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step (g) comprises a first drying step of injecting carbon dioxide at a rate of 70 L/min for ten minutes under environments of a temperature of 28° C. and a pressure of 70 bar to dry the blanket of which the surface is modified, a second drying step of raising to a temperature of 50° C. for 1 hour and 20 minutes to dry the blanket, a third drying step of injecting, carbon dioxide at a rate of 0.7 L/min for 20 minutes under a temperature of 50° C. and a pressure of 150 bar to dry the blanket again, and a fourth drying step of injecting carbon dioxide at a rate of 0.7 L/min for 20 minutes after breaking for 20 minutes to dry the blanket.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein, in the third drying step of the step (g), the ethanol generated from the blanket of which the surface is modified is collected while injecting the carbon dioxide.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step (g) further comprises a step of discharging the carbon dioxide for 2 hours after the fourth drying step.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the steps (e), (f), and (g) are performed in a reaction vessel accommodating the blanket.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein, in the step (g), the blanket undergoes supercritical drying in the state of being accommodated in the reaction vessel.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Ye Hon
• Lee Je Kyun
• Oh Kyoung Shil

Classifications

• C01B33/141

  Preparation of hydrosols or aqueous dispersions · CPC title

• F16L59/06

  Arrangements using an air layer or vacuum · CPC title

• F16L59/026

  Mattresses, mats, blankets or the like · CPC title

• C01B33/1585

  Dehydration into aerogels · CPC title

• B29C39/00

  Shaping by casting, i.e. introducing the moulding material into a mould or between confining surfaces without significant moulding pressure; Apparatus therefor (B29C41/00 takes precedence) · CPC title