I-Corps: Rapid Supercritical Fabrication of Aerogels

该项目旨在进一步开发一种专有的快速超临界萃取（RSCE）气凝胶制造方法。气凝胶是一种独特的纳米多孔材料，具有非凡的性能，使其在绝缘材料、窗户、传感器和催化转换器等许多应用中都有好处。然而，由于目前生产气凝胶的方法复杂且昂贵，气凝胶并没有被广泛使用。研究小组开发了一种快速超临界萃取（RSCE）技术。该方法利用自动化液压热压机中的密闭模具。该方法的优势在于：(a)它可以很容易地自动化；(b)相对较快；(c)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。I-Corps项目计划确定其专有的RSCE方法是否已准备好应用于实验室之外，并确定实现这种过渡的任何障碍。气凝胶在促进可持续发展的许多领域都有潜在的应用。作为建筑材料的隔热材料，气凝胶可以用来提高能源效率。催化气凝胶材料可以在汽车尾气清理中消除稀有贵重金属的使用。RSCE方法本身为生产气凝胶提供了一种更环保的方法，该方法适用于这些材料的规模化和大规模生产。

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.