Fabricating porous materials using thixotropic gels
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents, A Body Corporate of the State of Arizona Acting for and On Behalf of Arizona State University
InventorsDong-Kyun Seo, Alex Volosin
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Abstract
Methods, apparatuses, and systems for fabricating porous materials using thixotropic gels. A shear force is applied to a thixotropic material causing the material to flow. Multiple components are added to the thixotropic material while applying the shear force causing the multiple components to be distributed in the material. The shear force is removed such that the static properties of the thixotropic material in the absence of the shear force retain a distribution of the multiple components in the thixotropic material to form a composite gel material that includes liquid within a network of inter-connected solid particles that include the distributed plurality of components. The liquid in the composite gel material is removed to form a porous composite material.
Claims20
A method of fabricating a porous material, the method comprising:
- applying a shear force to a thixotropic wet gel to yield a thixotropic fluid;
- adding a plurality of components to the thixotropic fluid while applying the shear force, thereby distributing the plurality of components in the thixotropic fluid;
- removing the shear force from the thixotropic fluid in which the plurality of components is distributed to yield a composite gel in which the plurality of components is distributed;
- and
- treating the composite gel to yield a porous material.
A method comprising:
- applying a shear force to a thixotropic wet gel to yield a thixotropic fluid, wherein the thixotropic wet gel is prepared from AlCl3.6H2O, a solution including water and ethanol, and propylene oxide;
- adding a monomer solution to the thixotropic fluid while applying the shear force, thereby mixing the monomer solution with the thixotropic fluid to yield a composite thixotropic fluid;
- removing the shear force from the composite thixotropic fluid;
- and
- gelling the composite thixotropic fluid to yield a porous matrix.
A method comprising:
- applying a shear force to a thixotropic wet gel to yield a thixotropic fluid, wherein the thixotropic wet gel is prepared from Al(OH)3, a solution including water and hydrochloric acid, and urea;
- adding a monomer solution to the thixotropic fluid while applying the shear force, thereby mixing the monomer solution with the thixotropic fluid to yield a composite thixotropic fluid;
- removing the shear force from the composite thixotropic fluid;
- and
- gelling the composite thixotropic fluid to yield a porous matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.