New flexible aerogels and xerogels derived from di- and trifunctional organosilanes co-precursors

Abstract

We report new flexible “marshmallow-like” aerogels and xerogels with a bendable feature from the di- and trifunctional organosilane co-precursor systems. A 2-step acid/base sol–gel process and surfactant are employed to control the phase separation of the hydrophobic networks, which give porous monolithic gels. The obtained gels from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS) become softer and more flexible with increasing DMDMS fractions.