[Corvettaholic]

After reading the article on aerogels, I want to play with the stuff! Any news on making this stuff cheaply and commercially available?

[Donaldson Tan]

if and only if u can acquire TEOS cheaply

 

or find a cheap substitute for TEOS

[billnotgatez]

Has anyone on this list made some aerogel?

[Donaldson Tan]

cause that always made me mad the they added sudz to simulate previous cleaning agents.  Then they lower the sudz content, saving money and then charge more for it like they had to remove it chemically, but really just didn't add as much.

i don't understand what you are saying.

i haven't graduated. I am just spewing nonsense in response to corvettholic

[Corvettaholic]

Hey! I just wanted to know if it was available, I never tried to make the stuff. I know I don't have the ability... or the money. But if any of you fine people of the internet happen to know where I can get it, that would be great!

[mithrilhack]

I'm going to win my school's bridge building contest :D:D

[billnotgatez]

mithrilhack - are you making a bridge of aerogel and have you made aerogel?

[Blueshawk]

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Quote from: Blueshawk on 22:51:32
cause that always made me mad the they added sudz to simulate previous cleaning agents.  Then they lower the sudz content, saving money and then charge more for it like they had to remove it chemically, but really just didn't add as much.
 
 
Quote from Geodome

i don't understand what you are saying.

i haven't graduated. I am just spewing nonsense in response to corvettholic



     I was refering to a post that stated..I dont remember who or what forum....that someone work in an industrial scale detergent project.
 I was refering to detergents that use sudz..the chemical that makes soaps and detergent foamy.

[hmx9123]

I actually saw aerogels in person for the first time today.  I saw some with a density of 1mg/ccm, and one with a density of 10mg/ccm.  It is some amazing stuff.  It looks like solid smoke.  You can barely see the 1mg/ccm stuff.  Apparently the process is now down to 3h to make a volume of a few cubic feet.  The stuff was so light it stuck to your finger when you touched it.

[Alex Caps]

They aren't really too hard to make.  And as far as expenses go, I have been using the same $150 TMOS since last January and still have about 1/3 left.  That accounts for hundreds of gels.  Some people try to use sodium silicates as well, however, I have not had any luck with it.  TEOS is a little cheaper and less hazardous, but produces slightly different aerogels.  If anyone is serious about making some, let me know if you have questions and I will be happy to help.

[P]

Hmm.. Alex Caps -  are you sure??  Only problem with sodium silicate is alkilinity as far as I'm aware.  TEOS is nasty - we always had to use it in a glove box to make SOLGELS.

Also making AEROGELS is NOT easy!  especially if you want to make large chunks without them collapsing  -  you need an autoclave as far as I'm aware  -  works beter if you flush the solvent and unreacted TEOS out with a supercritical fluid I thought....   far from easy?  


Anyway - Corvettaholic - I agree - AEROGELS  (rather than standard SOLGELS)  are amazing  -   almost invisable and inredably light and remarkably insulating.  Wish I could make them.     I think you can get samples or buy the stuff from 2 componies I know of in the US: -  Aspen Aerogels  and  Cabocorp.  

Regards,

P

[AgG]

contrary to p I haven't found teos or tmos to be particularly harmful.  in my experience, having worked with both silanes and various alkyl silanes, I rarely worked in a fumehood much less a glove box.  you certainly don't want to ingest or inhale the material but with good technique that can be avoided. The silanes arent particularly volatile at RT which is the temp at which many sol-gel precursors/gels are processed.  In the case of heating the materials a well ventilated hood is a must.  The glove box was probably to avoid moisture getting into your starting material and condensing an unknown portion of your silane.

as for the super critical apparatus (typcially >$1500) designs are available on the internet and it is just a matter of having a machine shop make one for you for a third of the price. a bit expensive if you're just looking to dabble

[P]

OK sorry,  perhaps 'nasty' was a bit extreme,   but it's not good for you if you inhale it or splash it on your skin or eye.

I think you're probably right about the glove box being for purity sake as we used to flush it with Argon.