A method and system for providing at least one of planarization, densification, and exfoliation of a porous material using ion beams. The method may use an ion beam generator to generate an ion beam, the ion beam having energy above 0.1 MeV. The ion beam generator may irradiate the surface of a porous material with the ion beam to produce at least one of planarization, densification, and exfoliation of the porous material.

A polyethylene terephthalate aerogel. There is provided a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) aerogel comprising a porous network of cross-linked recycled PET fibers, wherein the PET aerogel has a thermal conductivity of 0.030-0.050 W/m K. There is also provided a method of forming the PET aerogel.

A silica aerogel having a mean pore size less than 5 nm with a standard deviation of 3 nm. The silica aerogel may have greater than 95% solar-weighted transmittance at a thickness of 8 mm for wavelengths in the range of 250 nm to 2500 nm, and a 400 C. black-body weighted specific extinction coefficient of greater than 8 m.sup.2/kg for wavelengths of 1.5 m to 15 m. Silica aerogel synthesis methods are described. A solar thermal aerogel receiver (STAR) may include an opaque frame defining an opening, an aerogel layer disposed in the opaque frame, with at least a portion of the aerogel layer being proximate the opening, and a heat transfer fluid pipe in thermal contact with and proximate the aerogel layer. A concentrating solar energy system may include a STAR and at least one reflector to direct sunlight to an opening in the STAR.

Provided is a hydrophobic silica aerogel precursor, and a hydrophobic silica aerogel produced using the same. In the methods, a linear silane crosslinking agent containing a PEG-derived unit is introduced when preparing a hydrophobic aerogel precursor, resulting in the production of a hydrophobic silica aerogel having improved high-temperature thermal stability and improved physical properties.

Provided are methods for the manufacture of highly porous aerogels, particularly to twisted carbon fibers (TCF) and carbon microbelt (CMB) aerogels, by providing a carbon raw material and heating said carbon raw material under inert gas atmosphere and reduced pressure up to 900 C. Also encompassed are the thus obtained aerogels and the use thereof, particularly for treating waste water.

The present disclosure provides a lightweight aerogel material including a polymer and clay. The lightweight aerogel material in the present disclosure may be a lightweight and strong absorbent material prepared by mixing the clay, hydrophilic polymer, and other inorganic raw materials that may be added, adding water to the mixture as a medium, stirring the mixture at a high speed to become viscous, and lyophilizing the mixture. The lightweight aerogel material prepared in this manner may have a micron-sized and nano-sized pores, which contributes to the high water absorbency and water absorption rate. When the lightweight aerogel material is used as cat litter, the water absorbency and water absorption rate of the cat litter may be much higher than the similar products. Furthermore, the density of the lightweight aerogel material in the present disclosure is controllable, which may meet the needs for different applications including the cat litter. Moreover, the lightweight aerogel material may be crushed to obtain irregular structures with rough surfaces, or may be formed into various special shapes through mold freezing.

A composite foam is provided having silica aerogel particles dispersed in a closed cell polymeric foam. The silica aerogel particles are included in a volume fraction between 2 and 60%, and the composite foam has a thermal conductivity of 40 kW/mK or less and a density of 60 kg/m.sup.3 or less. In another embodiment, a composite foam is provided having a perforated closed cell polymeric foam and 2-60% hydrophobic silica aerogel particles by volume with a particle size distribution of 1 to 50 m, where the composite foam has a thermal conductivity of 30 kW/mK or less, a density of 20-45 kg/m.sup.3, and an air permeability of 20-40 cubic feet per minute.

The present application discloses a process for the preparation of metastable tetragonal zirconia in the form of an aerogel material, said material being capable of undergoing martensitic phase transformation to monoclinic zirconia. The application also discloses composite materials, such as dental filling materials, having included therein an aerogel material.

Fiber-reinforced organic polymer aerogels, articles of manufacture and uses thereof are described. The reinforced aerogels include a fiber-reinforced organic polymer matrix having an at least bimodal pore size distribution with a first mode of pores having an average pore size of less than or equal to 50 nanometers (nm) and a second mode of pores having an average pore size of greater than 50 nm and a thermal conductivity of less than or equal to 30 mW/m.Math.K at a temperature of 20 C.

A method to produce a polymer gel includes dissolving precursors in a solvent to form a precursor solution, the precursors including polymer precursors, a stable free radical, one or more initiating radicals, and one or more stable free radical control agents, and heating the precursor solution to a temperature of polymerization to produce a cross-linked gel. A dried polymer aerogel has a Brunauer-Emmett Teller (BET) surface area over 100 m2/g, porosity of greater than 10%, visible transparency greater than 20%, color rendering index of over 20%, and average pore size of less than 100 nm.