I-Corps: Rapid Supercritical Fabrication of Aerogels

该项目旨在进一步开发用于气凝胶制造的专有快速超临界萃取（RSCE）方法。气凝胶是一种独特的纳米多孔材料，具有卓越的性能，使其有利于许多应用，如绝缘材料，窗户，传感器和催化转化器。然而，由于目前用于生产气凝胶的方法复杂且昂贵，气凝胶并不广泛可用或广泛使用。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。该方法是有利的，原因如下：（a）它可以容易地自动化;（B）它相对快速;（c）它比其它方法更环境友好;（d）它最小化溶剂的使用和（e）它可能比其它方法更便宜。这个I-Corps项目计划确定其专有的RSCE方法是否可以在实验室外应用，并确定实现这一转变的任何障碍。气凝胶在促进可持续性的许多领域都有潜在的应用。作为建筑材料中的热绝缘体，气凝胶可用于提高能源效率。催化气凝胶材料可以消除汽车尾气净化中稀有贵金属的使用。RSCE方法本身提供了一种用于生产气凝胶的环境友好的方法，并且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.