Despite their intriguing characteristics (e.g. ultralow density, high porosity & electrical conductivity), the application of carbon aerogels is generally limited by their poor mechanical strength and brittleness. Researchers from the Zhejiang University (China) were now able to manufacture highly flexible, binary carbon aerogels (bCAs) consisting of graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), which can resist compressive and tensile stresses. These novel bCAs were successfully used as strain sensors to detect complex three dimensional movements.

The novel aerogels were fabricated by creating an aqueous solution equipped of graphene oxide and MWNTs which was then given shape by additive 3D-printing. Thereafter, the structures were freeze-dried before being chemically or thermally reduced.

Owing to their hierarchical assembly, which is schematically shown in the figure below, the novel bCAs exhibit an extraordinary stretching stability over a wide range of conditions (e.g. temperatures from 93-773 K). Furthermore, they exhibit a noteworthy fatigue resistance, being able to retain their structural shape to great extents for at least 100 cycles at 200 % tensile strain.

Schematic of hierarchical assembly of bCAs, stretching from centimeter to nanometer range. Fourth order: Graphene and MWNT molecular blocks; Third order: graphene laminates; Second Order: Polygon cell; First Order: Macroscopic truss structure

Another key characteristic of the bCAs is their change in resistance in tension (gentle increase) and compression (steep increase). Exploiting this feature, the researchers equipped the joints of a snake-like robot with bCAs to be able to sense the robot’s movements and configurations. As shown in the figure below, a sensor array consisting of three bCAs was sufficient to map the continuously changing configurations and hence accurately identify the robot’s movements.

Illustration of working principle of a three bCAs sensor array to identify the movements of a snake-like robot

 
The authors identify other potential applications of the bCAs in wearable electronic devices, lightweight mechanical devices and fields of application requiring robustness and reliability in the most extreme conditions (e.g. aerospace engineering). Furthermore, the researchers are confident that their assembly method can be deployed for the fabrication of other highly stretchable aerogel materials.

More details: Fan Guo et al. “Highly stretchable carbon aerogels.” Nature Communications. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-03268-y
Read more: https://phys.org/news/2018-03-rubbery-carbon-aerogels-greatly-applications.html

The German chemical company BASF Polyurethanes GmbH has won the German Design Award for its Excellent Product Design in the category Building and Elements. The jury selected the aerogel insulation material SLENTITE® due to its unique combination of properties, facilitating space-saving insulation concepts which open up entirely new creative possibilities to architects and designers.

Award-winning SLENTITE® aerogel material for ultra thin building insulation

The novel aerogel material, consisting of 90 % air, allows for the reduction of insulation thicknesses by 50 %, when compared to standard insulation materials. Besides its outstanding thermal insulation properties, it is the first solid, breathable aerogel panel produced from polyurethane. Furthermore, it is easily machined without excessive dust generation, allowing for tailored shapes & sizes and direct application on walls or facades.

Consequently, the SLENTITE^® thermal insulation panels eclipse any commercial insulation material while fulfilling all demands placed on modern building materials.
Its honoring by the German Design Award jury could spark the interest of potential customers and competitors, stimulating the aerogel insulation material market.

Read more:
http://www.german-design-award.com/en/the-winners/gallery/detail/17074-slentite.html
https://www.basf.com/en/company/news-and-media/news-releases/2018/02/p-18-120.html
https://www.bi-medien.de/artikel-24501-bm-extrem-schlanke-daemmplatte-von-basf.bi

The Fifth International Summer School on Aerogels held in Cologne is organized cooperatively by the Hamburg University of Technology (Germany), the University of Salzburg (Austria), the Empa in Dübendorf (Switzerland) and the Department of Aerogels from Institute of Materials Research at the German Aerospace Center. During this workshop participants will be introduced to the fascinating properties of aerogels and perform many lab-on experiments learning how to synthesize and characterize inorganic, organic and bio-polymeric aerogels.

Students, PhD-Students, Postdocs, experienced scientists from universities, research organization and industry are invited to make a unique experience: the manufacturing and characterization of a fascinating nanostructured material.

More information on the Summer School can be found here.

Recently, we have reported on the potential of aerogel sorbents for CO₂ capture and storage (CCS). Despite their favorable properties, the deployed amine functionalized aerogels (AMAs) were found to require optimization to allow for their successful economical implementation. Increasing the activity and capacity of solid sorbents while decreasing their cost, is therefore an issue which is currently under investigation. Researchers from the US and Sri Lanka now report to have found an efficient, cheap and environmentally benign solid CO₂ sorbent: KOH-activated carbon chitin aerogels.

The novel sorbent material was synthesized from commercial chitin powder from shrimp shells, which was dispersed in a sodium-urea-water solution. Repeated freezing/thawing cycles of this solution resulted in the formation of a stable hydrogel, which subsequently was freeze-dried to obtain a chitin aerogel. Thereafter, carbonization of the aerogel was achieved by heating the sample to 800 °C under nitrogen atmosphere. In the last step, the aerogel was again heated to 850 °C (under N₂ atmosphere) in the presence of potassium hydroxide (KOH) to obtain the activated carbon aerogel. Consequently, the inexpensive manufacturing technique, which does not require any costly or toxic chemicals, and the abundance of the precursor materials facilitate the cheap production of chitin-based CO₂ sorbents.

The final activated carbon aerogels were found to exhibit large specific surface areas (> 500 m²/g), more than 35 times larger than that of their parent chitin aerogels. Additionally, the micro pore volume, which is an important parameter for CO₂ capture, increased by the factor of 95 between the chitin aerogel and the carbonized and KOH-activated sample. These two factors explain why the obtained CO₂ sorptivity value of 0.48 mmol/g (1 atm, 0 °C), obtained for the chitin aerogel, could be vastly increased to 5.02 mmol/g by further processing (i.e. carbonization and activation). As shown in the figure below, similar increase in sample sorptivity was also measured at room temperature (0.28 mmol/g and 3.44 mmol/g, respectively). This means that the morphological changes taking place inside the aerogel structure during carbonization and activation have a significant impact on the final sorbent properties.

CO2 adsorption isotherms at 1 atm and 0 °C (a) and 1 atm and 25 °C (b) for chitin aerogels (1), carbonized chitin aerogels (2) and KOH-activated chitin aerogels

The authors conclude that they have found an environmentally benign and very inexpensive way of manufacturing highly active chitin-based sorbents for CO₂ capture. Additionally, the sorbents are synthesized from a biopolymer, making the final material biodegradable and non-toxic.

More details: Dassanayake, R.S., Gunathilake, C., Abidi, N. et al.; Activated carbon derived from chitin aerogels: preparation and CO2 adsorption, Cellulose (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-018-1660-3

Airloy® X114 from Aerogel Technologies is a new high-strength aerogel that survives the flammability tests required for aviation and aerospace applications. With a density 3-6x lighter than plastics or composites, Airloy X114 combines strength, lightness, superinsulation, and non-flammability properties into one amazing new material. In this video, Airloy X114-H, with a density of 0.4 g/cc, is subjected to a 60-sec vertical burn test and a direct propane torch test to determine how the material will respond in a fire. Materials that survive 60 seconds without propagating flame, dripping, or smoking are good candidates to pass the FAA 25.853 burn certification requirements for aviation interiors. Airloy X114 is also machinable, has a thermal conductivity as low as 20.7 mW/m-K, and stifles transmission of sound 10-1000x better than conventional materials, including polyurethane foam.

Check out the most amazing materials of the future! This top 10 list of the strangest and coolest materials shows that science is getting very futuristic nowadays!

Aerogel Technologies manufactures advanced lightweight multifunctional materials to solve the world’s grand challenges and enable space-faring civilization. Recently our company has brought to market a new class of incredible materials we call Airloy® Ultramaterials that combine the lightness and materials properties superpowers of aerogels with the strength and durability expected of engineering materials. Airloys are 3-15x lighter than plastics or composites, up to 50% better insulating than expanded polystyrene, and 10-1000x more soundproofing than any other material, providing a unique valuable proposition anywhere weight and cost are coupled and representing a revolutionary platform technology useful for a wide variety of applications. Thanks to a breakthrough in aerogel manufacturing technology developed by Aerogel Technologies, Airloys can be made in the sizes and quantities demanded by the most challenging technology applications at a fraction of the cost of traditional aerogel materials. From airplane interiors to automotive components to engineering materials, Airloys represent a truly disruptive technology with properties unlike anything else. In this video, learn about our company and its technologies and discover how aerogel can help you engineer limitless possibilities.

As the nanotechnologies industry continue to advance, researchers are gaining the abilities to produce materials that are 90-98% air, commonly referred to as Aerogels and Airloys. These materials are the world’s best thermal insulators, conductors, and have some of the highest strength to weight ratios of any material ever.

Let’s look into what makes these materials so great and what they might be capable of in the future.

It looks like frozen smoke. And it’s the lightest solid material on the planet. Aerogel insulates space suits, makes tennis rackets stronger and could be used one day to clean up oil spills. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientist Alex Gash shows us some remarkable properties of this truly unique substance.

12th International Symposium on

Supercritical Fluids

About the Conference:

The 12^th International symposium on supercritical fluids, organized by the International Society for Advancement of Supercritical Fluids (ISASF), will be held on April 22 – 25 2018 in ANTIBES – JUAN – LES – PINS (France).

Topic of the conference will be the most recent scientific and technological developments in supercritical fluid technology, while special focus will be given to case studies, investigating the scale-up from lab experiments to manufacturing-scale processes, in all types of industrial fields such as:

Speakers:

TBA
 

Symposium chair:

Dr. Michel PERRUT, Atelier Fluides Supercritiques,
 

Scientific Committee: