Modified hybrid silica aerogels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9512287-B2
Application number	US-201414536735-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2014
Priority date	Nov 30, 2010
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed and claimed herein are hybrid silica aerogels containing non-polymeric, functional organic materials covalently bonded at one or both ends to the silica network of the aerogels through a C—Si bond between a carbon atom of the organic material and a silicon atom of the aerogel network. Methods of their preparation are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. Hybrid silica aerogel compositions comprising a non-polymeric, functional organic material covalently bonded at one or both ends to the silica network through a C—Si bond between a carbon atom of the organic material and a silicon atom of the network, wherein the non-polymeric, functional organic material is an amine-epoxy adduct.

2. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 1 , wherein the functional, non-polymeric organic material comprises branched or unbranched alkyl chains of C1-C40 with at least one of OH, NHR, SH, OH-terminated alkoxy, carboxy, phenolic groups are attached to the chain, and wherein a heteroatom may optionally be a part of the chain.

3. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 2 , wherein the functional, non-polymeric organic material is the reaction product of a glycidyloxyalkyl-trialkoxysilane and an aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilane.

4. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 3 , wherein the glycidoalkyl-trialkoxysilane is 3-glycidopropyl-trialkoxysilane; and the aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilane is 3-aminopropyl trialkoxysilane.

5. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 2 , wherein the functional, non-polymeric organic material is the reaction product of an alkyldiol diglycidyl ether and aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilanes.

6. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 5 , wherein the alkyldiol diglycidyl ether is butaneldiol diglycidyl ether; and the aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilanes are 3-aminopropyl trialkoxysilanes.

7. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 2 , further comprising at least one functional additive.

8. The hybrid aerogel composition of claim 2 , wherein the composition is reinforced with fibers.

9. A method of preparing hybrid silica aerogel compositions comprising the steps of:
a. combining at least one partially or fully hydrolyzed tetraalkoxysilane, at least one trialkoxysilane covalently bonded to a non-polymeric, functional organic material, and a gelation catalyst to gel the admixture, and
b. drying the gel to obtain an aerogel;
wherein the non-polymeric, functional organic material is an amine-epoxy adduct.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the functional, non-polymeric organic material comprises branched or unbranched alkyl chains of C1-C40 with at least one of OH, NHR, SH, OH-terminated alkoxy, carboxy, phenolic groups are attached to the chain, and wherein a heteroatom may optionally be a part of the chain.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the functional, non-polymeric organic material is the reaction product of a glycidyloxyalkyl-trialkoxysilane and an aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilane.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the glycidoalkyl-trialkoxysilane is 3-glycidopropyl-trialkoxysilane; and the aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilane is 3-aminopropyl trialkoxysilane.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the functional, non-polymeric organic material is the reaction product of an alkyldiol diglycidyl ether and aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilanes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the alkyldiol diglycidyl ether is butaneldiol diglycidyl ether; and the aminoalkyl-trialkoxysilanes are 3-aminopropyl trialkoxysilanes.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising an aging step after the gelation step, comprising contacting the silanes with an amine containing material.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the tetraalkoxysilane comprises between about 10 and about 75% of hydrolysed siloxane.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of adding at least one functional additive.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the step of adding reinforcing fibers.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the gel is dried using supercritical carbon dioxide.

20. A method of preparing hybrid silica aerogel compositions comprising the steps of:
a. combining at least one partially or fully hydrolyzed tetraalkoxysilane, at least one trialkoxysilane covalently bonded to a non-polymeric, functional organic material free of a urea or a urethane linkage, and a gelation catalyst to gel the admixture, and
b. drying the gel to obtain an aerogel.

Assignees

• Aspen Aerogels Inc

Inventors

• Rhine Wendell E
• Coutinho Decio
• Deshpande Kiranmayi

Classifications

• C08J2201/0504

  the liquid phase being aqueous · CPC title

• C01B33/1585 Primary

  Dehydration into aerogels · CPC title

• C08J2383/04

  Polysiloxanes · CPC title

• C08J9/286 Primary

  the liquid phase being a solvent for the monomers but not for the resulting macromolecular composition, i.e. macroporous or macroreticular polymers · CPC title

• F16L59/028 Primary

  Compositions for or methods of fixing a thermally insulating material · CPC title