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Microbubble Fabrication of Concave-porosity PDMS Beads
Published on: December 15, 2015
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Droplet-templating soft materials into structured bead-based aerogels with compartmentalized or welded configurations
Shayan Ghasemi1, Mahyar Panahi-Sarmad2,3, Elnaz Erfanian1,3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. Milad.kamkar@uwaterloo.ca.
Materials Horizons
|February 28, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel droplet-templating method for creating ultra-lightweight aerogels. The technique allows for precise control over aerogel architecture and properties using nanoparticle-surfactant co-assembly.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Precise control over nanomaterial-based aerogel composition and architecture is a significant challenge.
- Existing methods often lack the versatility to create diverse aerogel structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a droplet-templating approach for engineering ultra-lightweight aerogels.
- To enable tailored aerogel architectures with controlled micro-domains and tunable properties.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing interfacial co-assembly of nanoparticles-surfactants (NPSs) at polar/apolar liquid interfaces.
- Employing droplet-templating to engineer aerogel architectures.
- Controlling evaporation and freeze-drying processes for micro-domain customization.
Main Results:
- Fabrication of aerogels with compartmentalized or welded bead architectures.
- Creation of multilayer, gradient, and hybrid morphologies using 1D and 2D nanomaterials.
- Demonstration of tunable aerogel properties without chemical binders.
Conclusions:
- The droplet-templating approach offers a versatile platform for aerogel engineering.
- This method facilitates the development of soft materials with customizable properties.
- Opens new avenues for applications in soft matter and advanced aerogel design.
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