Disclosed herein are methods for the preparation of porous metal oxide materials, including metal oxide xerogels and metal oxide aerogels. Methods for preparing porous metal oxide materials can comprise (i) reacting a metal alkoxide with water in the presence of a catalyst system to form a partially hydrolyzed sol, (ii) contacting the partially hydrolyzed sol with a base catalyst and a non-aqueous solvent to form a precursor gel; and (iii) drying the precursor gel to form the porous metal oxide material. The catalyst system employed in step (i) comprises a combination of a weak acid and a strong acid.

Disclosed herein are methods for the preparation of porous metal oxide materials, including metal oxide xerogels and metal oxide aerogels. Methods for preparing porous metal oxide materials can comprise (i) reacting a metal alkoxide with water in the presence of a catalyst system to form a partially hydrolyzed sol, (ii) contacting the partially hydrolyzed sol with a base catalyst and a non-aqueous solvent to form a precursor gel; and (iii) drying the precursor gel to form the porous metal oxide material. The catalyst system employed in step (i) comprises a combination of a weak acid and a strong acid.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of a new class of hybrid aerogels with a 3-D reticulated structure. First, the organic and inorganic components of the structure are distributed on a molecular level in such a way that all of the organic components of the precursor are chemically bonded to each other and to the inorganic component. Second, in the new hybrid aerogels, the pores are separated by solid walls like reticulated open-cell foams without the particulate solid parts and also the present invention is a process for preparing a hybrid aerogel without aging step having a nonparticulate-reticulated structure comprises of a polymeric precursor that is crosslinked by a linkage without forming particulate structure.

The present invention relates to a method for recycling supercritical waste liquid generated during a process of producing a silica aerogel blanket, and a method for producing a silica aerogel blanket reusing supercritical waste liquid recycled thereby. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for recycling supercritical waste liquid and a method for producing a silica aerogel blanket capable of reducing the production costs and preventing the deterioration in thermal insulation performance of a silica aerogel blanket by adding a metal salt to the supercritical waste liquid by the recycling method.

The present invention relates to a method for recycling supercritical waste liquid generated during a process of producing a silica aerogel blanket, and a method for producing a silica aerogel blanket reusing supercritical waste liquid recycled thereby. More particularly, the present invention provides a method for recycling supercritical waste liquid and a method for producing a silica aerogel blanket capable of reducing the production costs and preventing the deterioration in thermal insulation performance of a silica aerogel blanket by adding a metal salt to the supercritical waste liquid by the recycling method.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a silica aerogel and a silica aerogel produced thereby. The present invention provides a two-step process of a nucleation step of forming silica colloid particles by using a low-concentration silica precursor and a growth step of further adding a relatively high-concentration silica precursor to form a silica wet gel by using the silica colloid particles as a seed. Thus, the present invention provides a method for producing a silica aerogel of which mechanical stability is improved to enhance pore characteristics, and physical properties are readily controllable, and also provides a silica aerogel produced thereby.

Compositions, methods, and articles of manufacture relating to a transparent/translucent insulating material formed by a hybrid silica gel composition made of porous silica particles joined with each other by silane crosslinking through a three dimensional silica network. In one embodiment, the hybrid silica gel includes small porous silica particles, and is made by a process that avoids energy intensive techniques.

Compositions, methods, and articles of manufacture relating to a transparent/translucent insulating material formed by a hybrid silica gel composition made of porous silica particles joined with each other by silane crosslinking through a three dimensional silica network. In one embodiment, the hybrid silica gel includes small porous silica particles, and is made by a process that avoids energy intensive techniques.

Disclosed and claimed herein are hybrid silica aerogels containing non-polymeric, functional organic materials covalently bonded at one or both ends to the silica network of the aerogels through a CSi bond between a carbon atom of the organic material and a silicon atom of the aerogel network. Methods of their preparation are also disclosed.

Disclosed and claimed herein are hybrid silica aerogels containing non-polymeric, functional organic materials covalently bonded at one or both ends to the silica network of the aerogels through a CSi bond between a carbon atom of the organic material and a silicon atom of the aerogel network. Methods of their preparation are also disclosed.