LIGHT AEROGEL MATERIAL AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A lightweight aerogel material comprising: 10-50 parts by weight of a polymer; and 10-50 parts by weight of clay, wherein the light aerogel material has micron-sized pores and a nano-layered structure.

2. The lightweight aerogel material of claim 1, wherein a density of the light aerogel material is in a range of 0.1-0.5 g/cm.sup.3.

3. The lightweight aerogel material of claim 1, wherein the polymer includes one or more of pectin, chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol, bio-cellulose, plant cellulose, starch-modified water absorbent resin, or acrylic water absorbent resin.

4. The lightweight aerogel material of claim 3, wherein the polymer includes at least one of the starch-modified water absorbent resin or the acrylic water absorbent resin, average particle diameters of the starch-modified water absorbent resin and the acrylic water absorbent resin being in a range of 1-100 m.

5. The light aerogel material of claim 1, further includes an additive.

6. A method for preparing the light aerogel material of claim 1, comprising: (1) mixing a specified part by weight of the polymer and a specified part by weight of the clay, adding water to the mixture as a medium, and stirring the mixture to become viscous; (2) freezing the mixture at a temperature of 10 to 190 C. to become solid; and (3) lyophilizing the mixture at a temperature of 20 to 30 C. until a water content of the mixture is 3-5 wt % to obtain the light aerogel material.

7. The of claim 6, further comprising crushing lyophilized mixture to obtain the light aerogel in granular form.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising placing the viscous mixture in a granulated mold in step (1) followed by step (2).

9. The method claim 7, wherein mixing the specified part by weight of the polymer and the specified part by weight of the clay together with an additive in step (1).

10. The lightweight aerogel material prepared in claim 7, wherein the lightweight aerogel material is used as cat litter and has a particle size in a range of 5-25 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] These embodiments are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similar structures throughout the several views of the drawings. The drawings are not to scale. It should be understood that these drawings depict only some embodiments disclosed according to the present disclosure and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure, and wherein:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a microstructure view of a lightweight aerogel material prepared according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure taken with a scanning electron microscope; and

[0034] FIG. 2 is a microstructure view of the lightweight aerogel material prepared according to Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure taken with a transmission electron microscope.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In the following description, certain exemplary embodiments are simply described. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the drawings and the description are merely provided for the purpose of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0036] In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the term a plurality of means two or more.

[0037] In the following embodiments, 1 part by weight represents 10 g.

Embodiment 1

[0038] The lightweight aerogel material described in this embodiment may include 20 parts by weight of a polymer and 30 parts by weight of clay. In this embodiment, the polymer may be pectin and the clay may be montmorillonite. The method for preparing the lightweight aerogel material may include the following steps:

[0039] (1) 20 parts by weight of pectin, 30 parts by weight of montmorillonite, and 1 part by weight of an antibacterial agent were mixed at room temperature. 100 parts by weight of water were added and the mixture was heated to 40 degrees Celsius. Then the mixture was stirred in a blender at a speed of 450-500 rpm for 10 min to obtain a hydrogel with a certain viscosity. In this embodiment, the antibacterial agent may be a bamboo extract.

[0040] (2) the hydrogel obtained in step (1) was poured into a flat plate. The thickness of the hydrogel in the flat plate may be 10 mm. The flat plate was put in a freezing room at minus 40 degrees Celsius for 12 h.

[0041] (3) the flat plate was put in a lyophilizer, the temperature and the pressure in the lyophilizer were set to 25 degrees Celsius and 40 Pa, respectively. The hydrogel was lyophilized for 24 h to obtain an aerogel. When the water content of the hydrogel in the flat plate was 5 wt % in mass percentage, the flat plate was taken out.

[0042] (4) the lyophilized aerogel was put in a crusher and crushed into small aerogel pieces with sizes of 15-20 mm. The small pieces of the aerogel may be lightweight aerogel materials with a density of 0.5 g/cm3.

Embodiment 2

[0043] The lightweight aerogel material described in this embodiment may include 15 parts by weight of a polymer and 35 parts by weight of clay. In this embodiment, the polymer may be an acrylic water absorbent resin with particle sizes in the range of 1-100 m. The clay may be kaolin. The method for preparing the lightweight aerogel material may include the following steps:

[0044] (1) 15 parts by weight of acrylic water absorbent resin, 35 parts by weight of kaolin, and 1 part by weight of an adsorbent were mixed at room temperature. 250 parts by weight of water were added and the mixture was heated to 40 degrees Celsius. Then the mixture was stirred in a blender at a speed of 300-400 rpm for 30 min to obtain a suspension. In this embodiment, the adsorbent may be activated carbon with particle sizes in the range of 200-300 m.

[0045] (2) the suspension obtained in step (1) was poured into a flat plate. A thickness of the suspension in the flat plate may be 20 mm. The flat plate was put in a freezing room at minus 70 degrees Celsius for 2 h.

[0046] (3) the flat plate was put in a lyophilizer, the temperature and the pressure in the lyophilizer were set to 25 degrees Celsius and 40 Pa, respectively. The suspension was lyophilized for 24 h to obtain an aerogel. When the water content of the suspension in the flat plate was 5 wt % in mass percentage, the flat plate was taken out.

[0047] (4) the lyophilized aerogel was put in a crusher and crushed into small aerogel pieces with sizes of 10-15 mm. The small aerogel pieces may be lightweight aerogel materials with a density of 0.2 g/cm3.

Embodiment 3

[0048] The lightweight aerogel material described in this embodiment may include 10 parts by weight of a polymer and 40 parts by weight of clay. In this embodiment, the polymer may be plant cellulose, and the clay may be bentonite. The method for preparing the lightweight aerogel material may include the following steps:

[0049] (1) 10 parts by weight of plant cellulose, 40 parts by weight of bentonite, 0.5 part by weight of an adsorbent, and 0.5 part by weight of a colorant were mixed at room temperature. 450 parts by weight of water were added and the mixture was heated to 30 degrees Celsius. Then the mixture was stirred in a blender at a speed of 450-500 rpm for 30 min to obtain a suspension. In this embodiment, the adsorbent may be activated carbon, and the colorant may be -carotene.

[0050] (2) the suspension obtained in step (1) was poured into a flat plate. A thickness of the suspension in the flat plate may be 20 mm. The flat plate was put in a liquid nitrogen solution at minus 190 degrees Celsius for 2 h.

[0051] (3) the flat plate was put in a lyophilizer, the temperature and the pressure in the lyophilizer were set to 25 degrees Celsius and 40 Pa, respectively. The suspension was lyophilized for 24 h to obtain an aerogel. When the water content of the suspension is 5 wt % in mass percentage, the flat plate was taken out.

[0052] (4) the lyophilized aerogel was put in a crusher and crushed into small aerogel pieces with sizes of 5-10 mm. The small aerogel pieces may be lightweight aerogel materials with a density of 0.1 g/cm3.

Embodiment 4

[0053] The lightweight aerogel material described in this embodiment may include 50 parts by weight of a polymer and 50 parts by weight of clay. In this embodiment, the polymer may be plant cellulose, and the clay may be bentonite. The method for preparing the lightweight aerogel material may include the following steps:

[0054] (1) 50 parts by weight of plant cellulose, 50 parts by weight of bentonite, and 0.1 parts by weight of a color indicator were mixed. 300 parts by weight of water were added and the mixture was heated to 30 degrees Celsius. Then the mixture was stirred in a blender at a speed of 450-500 rpm for 30 min to obtain a suspension. In this embodiment, the color indicator may be a pH color indicator, and exemplary pH color indicator may suitably include methyl red, bromocresol green, thymol blue, litmus, phenolphthalein, phenol red, or the like, or any combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the pH color indicator may be phenol red which has non-toxic and safe characteristics. In this embodiment, 0.1 part by weight of phenol red was added.

[0055] (2) the suspension obtained in step (1) was poured into a flat plate. The flat plate was put in a freezing room at minus 190 degrees Celsius for 2 h.

[0056] (3) the flat plate was put in a lyophilizer, the temperature and the pressure in the lyophilizer were set to a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and 40 Pa, respectively. The suspension was lyophilized for 24 h to obtain an aerogel. When the water content of the suspension in the flat plate was 5 wt % in mass percentage, the flat plate was taken out.

[0057] (4) the lyophilized aerogel was put in a crusher and crushed into small aerogel pieces with sizes of 10-25 mm. The small aerogel pieces may be the lightweight aerogel material.

[0058] The lightweight aerogel material prepared in this embodiment can vary in colors when it encounters an acid solution or an alkali solution. When it is used as cat litter, the different colors can indicate a pH value of the urine of a cat. The pH value of the lightweight aerogel material added with phenol red in the present disclosure is about 6.5-8, which may meet the needs of cat urine detection. The lightweight aerogel material may be used to assist in determining whether a disease has occurred or whether there are hidden health risks, or may be used to assist in determining health status of a cat when it has diseases such as urinary system diseases.

Embodiment 5

[0059] The lightweight aerogel material described in this embodiment may include 50 parts by weight of a polymer and 50 parts by weight of clay. In this embodiment, the polymer may be plant cellulose, and the clay may be bentonite. The method for preparing the lightweight aerogel material may include the following steps:

[0060] (1) 50 parts by weight of plant cellulose, 50 parts by weight of bentonite, and 0.1 parts by weight of a color indicator were mixed. 300 parts by weight of water were added and the mixture was heated to 30 degrees Celsius. Then the mixture was stirred in a blender at a speed of 450-500 rpm for 30 min to obtain a suspension. In this embodiment, the color indicator may be an enzyme color indicator, and an exemplary enzyme color indicator may include 0.005 part by weight of glucose oxidase, 0.005 part by weight of catalase, and 0.099 part by weight of tetramethylbenzidine (TMB).

[0061] (2) the suspension obtained in step (1) was poured into a flat plate. The flat plate was put in a freezing room at minus 190 degrees Celsius for 2 h.

[0062] (3) the flat plate was put in a lyophilizer, the temperature and the pressure in the lyophilizer were set to 25 degrees Celsius and 40 Pa, respectively. The suspension was lyophilized for 24 h to obtain an aerogel. When the water content of the suspension is 5 wt % in mass percentage, the flat plate was taken out.

[0063] (4) the lyophilized aerogel was put in a crusher to be crushed to obtain small aerogel pieces with sizes of 10-25 mm. The small aerogel pieces may be the lightweight aerogel material. In this embodiment, glucose may be decomposed into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide under the catalytic action of glucose oxidase, the hydrogen peroxide may be decomposed into water and atomic oxygen under the catalytic action of catalase, and discoloration may occur when the atomic oxygen encounters the tetramethylbenzidine. Thus, the lightweight aerogel material prepared in this embodiment will change color when a glucose component is detected, thereby assisting in determining whether a related disease occurs.

[0064] A microstructure of the lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiments 1-5 may be observed using a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope. The lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiments 1-5 may have micron-sized pores and a nano-layered structure. The nano-layered structure may be distributed on the pore wall of the micron-sized pores and between the pores. Taking Embodiment 3 as an example, FIG. 1 illustrates a microstructure view of the micron-sized pores of the lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiment 3 recorded by a scanning electron microscope. FIG. 2 illustrates a microstructure view of the nano-layered structure of the lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiment 3 scanned by a transmission electron microscope. For a lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiment 3, the pore size of the micron-sized pores may be in the range of 10-50 m, and the thickness of the nano-layered structure may be in the range of 100-300 nm.

[0065] The above Embodiments 1-5 are exemplary implementations, the selection of raw materials may not be limited to the above implementations. As an alternative implementation, the clay used as the raw materials may include montmorillonite, kaolin, bentonite, attapulgite, or any combination thereof. The type of additive may also be arbitrarily selected. For example, the additive may include at least one of inorganic filler and adsorbent. The inorganic filler may include straw powder, such as corn straw, wheat straw, cotton straw, rice straw, or any combination thereof. The preferred addition amount of the inorganic filler may be 1-10 parts by weight. The adsorbent may include activated carbon, coral reef powder, alginate and its derivatives, or any combination thereof. The preferred addition amount of the adsorbent may be 0.5-1 part by weight. In addition, the additive may also include perfume, dye, antibacterial deodorant, or any combination thereof. As a preferred embodiment, the addition amount of the perfume, dye, and antibacterial deodorant may be not larger than 0.5 part by weight.

Analytic Embodiment

[0066] The water absorption capacity of the lightweight aerogel material prepared in the above Embodiments 1-3 may be tested according to the following method for testing the water absorption capacity.

[0067] 100 mL of lightweight aerogel material was obtained with a 100 mL straight measuring cylinder. The lightweight aerogel material was weighted and the weight was recorded as M.sub.0. After soaked in water for 15 min, the lightweight aerogel material was taken out and weighted. The weight was recorded as M.sub.1. The water absorption capacity may be calculated according to the formula: water absorption capacity=M.sub.1/M.sub.0)1.

[0068] Each of the three kinds of lightweight aerogel materials prepared in Embodiments 1-3 may have a water absorption capacity larger than 6 grams per gram of lightweight aerogel material. And the product prepared in Embodiments 3 may have the highest water absorption capacity, which may reach 10 grams per gram of lightweight aerogel material.

Comparative Experiment

[0069] 10 g of the lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiments 1-3 of the present disclosure and ordinary cat litter sold on the market were obtained, wherein the ordinary cat litter sold on the market may be traditional bentonite cat litter.

[0070] The water absorption rates of the three kinds of lightweight aerogel materials prepared in Embodiments 1-3 were compared. For a lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the time for absorbing 50 mL of water per 10 g of the lightweight aerogel material may be 40 seconds in average. For a lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiment 2 of the present disclosure, the time for absorbing 50 mL of water per 10 g of the lightweight aerogel material may be 35 seconds in average. For a lightweight aerogel material prepared in Embodiment 3 of the present disclosure, the time for absorbing 50 mL of water per 10 g of the lightweight aerogel material may be 25 seconds in average.

[0071] For the traditional bentonite cat litter, the time for absorbing 50 mL of water per 10 g of the traditional bentonite cat litter may be 50 seconds in average.

[0072] According to the comparison results, the lightweight aerogel material prepared in the present disclosure may have a better water absorption property, and may have higher water absorption capacity and water absorption rate than the conventional cat litter material.

[0073] It should be noted that the above description is merely provided for the purpose of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Apparently, for persons having ordinary skills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be conducted under the teachings of the present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the claims.