Zirconia aerogels as substrates for the sorption and decomposition of toxic organophosphorous agents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of decontamination by exposing a zirconium oxy(hydroxide) aerogel to a liquid, vapor, or gaseous sample suspected of containing a phosphonate compound. The aerogel may be doped with Fe3+ ions, Ce3+ ions, or SO42− ions. The aerogel may be made by: providing a solution of ZrCl4; FeCl3, CeCl3, or Zr(SO4)2; and a solvent; adding a cyclic ether to the solution to form a gel; infiltrating the gel with liquid carbon dioxide; applying a temperature and pressure to form supercritical fluid carbon dioxide; and removing the carbon dioxide for form an aerogel.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.