High temperature, flexible aerogel composite and method of making same
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorFrances Hurwitz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aerogels, aerogel composites and methods of making the same are discussed. One example method can include the act of creating a boehmite colloid and adding a hydrolyzed silicon precursor to form a sol. A reinforcement can be infused with the sol and dried to form an aerogel composite. Such a method can also include the acts of performing one or more solvent exchanges and subjecting the gel composite to supercritical drying. Additionally, such a method can include the act of heat treating the aerogel composite. The aerogel composite can be used in high temperature, flexible seals capable of withstanding temperatures, pressures, and compression levels associated with aerodynamic heating generated during flight and in aerospace applications.
Claims12
A method, comprising:
- providing a solution containing water and acid;
- dispersing as a suspension within the solution a boehmite alumina powder having a crystallite size range including and between 2.5 to 13.1 nanometers;
- adding a hydrolyzed silicon precursor to the solution to produce a colloidal alumina sol;
- infusing one or more reinforcements comprising ceramic paper, felt, or fabric with the colloidal alumina sol prior to gelation to produce a sol-infused reinforcement;
- allowing the colloidal alumina sol within the sol-infused reinforcement to gel, at an ambient or heated temperature, to form a gel composite having a gel backbone structure, wherein boehmite alumina of the sol-infused reinforcement self-assembles into the gel backbone structure;
- performing one or more solvent exchanges on the gel composite;
- and
- subjecting the gel composite to supercritical drying to create an aerogel composite.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.