I-Corps: Rapid Supercritical Fabrication of Aerogels

该项目寻求进一步开发一种专有的用于气凝胶制造的快速超临界萃取(RSCE)方法。气凝胶是一种独特的纳米多孔材料，具有显著的性能，使其在绝缘材料、窗户、传感器和催化转化器等方面具有良好的应用前景。然而，由于目前生产气凝胶的方法复杂且昂贵，气凝胶没有被广泛获得或广泛使用。该研究小组开发了一种快速超临界萃取(RSCE)技术。该方法利用自动液压热压机中的受限模具。该方法具有以下优点：(A)易于自动化；(B)相对快速；(C)它比其他方法更环保；(D)它最大限度地减少了溶剂的使用；(E)它可能比其他方法更便宜。这个i-Corps项目计划确定其专有的RSCE方法是否准备好在实验室外应用，并确定实现这一过渡的任何障碍。气凝胶在促进可持续发展的许多领域具有潜在的应用。气凝胶作为建筑材料中的绝热材料，可以用来提高能源效率。催化气凝胶材料可以消除稀有贵金属在汽车尾气净化中的使用。RSCE方法本身为生产气凝胶提供了一种更环保的方法，该方法适合于这些材料的放大和大规模生产。

This project seeks to further develop a proprietary rapid supercritical extraction (RSCE) method for aerogel fabrication. Aerogels are unique nanoporous materials with remarkable properties that make them beneficial for a number of applications such as insulating materials, windows, sensors and catalytic converters. However, aerogels are not widely available or widely used due to the complex and expensive methods currently used to produce them. The research team has developed a rapid supercritical extraction (RSCE) technique. The method utilizes a confined mold in an automated hydraulic hot press. The method is advantageous for the following reasons: (a) it can be easily automated; (b) it is relatively fast; (c) it is environmentally friendlier than other methods; (d) it minimizes the use of solvents and (e) it is potentially less expensive than other methods. This I-Corps project plans to determine whether its proprietary RSCE method is ready for application out of the laboratory and to identify any barriers to achieving this transition.Aerogels have potential applications in a number of areas that foster sustainability. As thermal insulators in building materials aerogels can be used to improve energy efficiency. Catalytic aerogel materials could eliminate the use of rare precious metals in the cleanup of automotive exhaust. The RSCE method itself provides an environmentally friendlier method for producing aerogels and the method is suitable to scale up and large-scale production of these materials.