A composition of matter having a porous cross-linked polymer network, quaternary ammonium ions in the cross-linked polymer network, and at least one counter ion in the cross-linked polymer network that is at least one of hydroxide or a counter ion capable of forming hydroxide upon reaction with water. A method to produce a porous material includes polymerizing a compound containing quaternary ammonium and a cross-linker using controlled polymerization and ion exchange in the presence of at least one of hydroxide or a counter ion capable of forming hydroxide upon reaction with water. A method to capture CO.sub.2, includes employing a sorbent comprising a quaternary ammonium ions in a porous cross-linked polymer network in an environment to adsorb CO.sub.2.

Graphene oxide aerogel beads (GOABs) are formed that have a core/shell structure where a smooth shell covers a multi-layer core. The smooth shell and the layers of the multilayer core comprise graphene oxide or reduced graphene oxide. The GOABs can include a phase-change material encapsulated within the multi-layer core. The GOABs can be combined or decorated with Fe.sub.3O.sub.4 nanoparticles or MoS.sub.2 microflakes for various applications. The GOABs are formed from aqueous slurries of graphene oxide that is extruded as drops into an aqueous solution of a coagulant where GOABs are formed. The GOABs are washed and freeze dried, after which, the GOABs can be reduced as desired by chemical or thermal means. Impregnation can be carried out with the phase-change material.

The present invention provides a fiber-reinforced aerogel material which can be used as insulation in thermal battery applications. The fiber-reinforced aerogel material is highly durable, flexible, and has a thermal performance that exceeds the insulation materials currently used in thermal battery applications. The fiber-reinforced aerogel insulation material can be as thin as 1 mm less, and can have a thickness variation as low as 2% or less. Also provided is a method for improving the performance of a thermal battery by incorporating a reinforced aerogel material into the thermal battery. Further provided is a casting method for producing thin fiber-reinforced aerogel materials.

The invention relates to a method for producing an aerogel using a sol-gel process, in which first a lyogel is formed from at least two precursor sols and the lyogel is then converted to an aerogel.

A method includes acquiring a three-dimensional printed template created using an additive manufacturing technique, infilling the template with an aerogel precursor solution, allowing formation of a sol-gel, and converting the sol-gel to an aerogel.

A metal boride aerogel includes a three-dimensional aerogel structure comprising metal boride particles having an average diameter of less than one micron. A method is disclosed for forming a metal boride aerogel including dispersing boron nanoparticles in a solution of a metal salt, forming a boron-loaded metal oxide precursor gel using the dispersed boron nanoparticles in the solution of the metal salt, drying the boron-loaded metal oxide precursor gel to form a boron-loaded metal oxide precursor aerogel, and heating the boron-loaded metal oxide precursor aerogel to form a metal boride aerogel. The metal boride aerogel is essentially free of metal oxide.

A method of fabrication of a porous polymer aerogel amine material includes preparing a solution comprising at least a solvent, amine monomers having protecting groups, one or more crosslinkers, and one or more radical initiators, heating the solution to promote polymerization and to produce a polymerized material, performing solvent exchange with the polymerized material, causing a deprotection reaction in the polymerized material to remove the protecting groups to produce a deprotected material, soaking and rinsing the deprotected material to remove excess reagents and any byproducts of the deprotection reaction, and drying the deprotecting material to produce the amine sorbent. A system to separate CO.sub.2 from other gases has a polymer porous aerogel sorbent having greater than 5 wt % of amine containing vinyl monomers integrated into a polymer backbone, and the amine containing vinyl monomers may have a molecular weight of less than 100 g/mol.

Nanoporous carbon-based scaffolds or structures, and specifically carbon aerogels and their manufacture and use thereof are provided. Embodiments include a silicon-doped anode material for a lithium-ion battery, where the anode material includes beads of polyimide-derived carbon aerogel. The carbon aerogel includes silicon particles and accommodates expansion of the silicon particles during lithiation. The anode material provides optimal properties for use within the lithium-ion battery.

In one embodiment, an aerogel or xerogel includes column structures of a material having minor pores therein and major pores devoid of the material positioned between the column structures, where longitudinal axes of the major pores are substantially parallel to one another. In another embodiment, a method includes heating a sol including aerogel or xerogel precursor materials to cause gelation thereof to form an aerogel or xerogel and exposing the heated sol to an electric field, wherein the electric field causes orientation of a microstructure of the sol during gelation, which is retained by the aerogel or xerogel. In one approach, an aerogel has elongated pores extending between a material arranged in column structures having structural characteristics of being formed from a sol exposed to an electric field that causes orientation of a microstructure of the sol during gelation which is retained by the elongated pores of the aerogel.

An aerogel that includes an open-cell structured polymer matrix is disclosed. The aerogel includes 5 wt. % to 50 wt. % of a polyamic amide polymer, based on the total weight of the aerogel, pores and at least 90% of the pore volume of the aerogel is made up of macropores, a porosity of at least 50%, as measure according to ASTM D4404-10, a density of 0.01 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.5 g/cm.sup.3, and the aerogel is thermally stable to resist browning at 330° C.