Model physically associating solutions of acrylic triblock copolymer molecules in a midblock-selective solvent displayed non-linear strain-stiffening behavior which transitioned to rapid strain softening during shear start-up experiments at reduced rates spanning almost four orders of magnitude. Softening was believed to result from the shear-induced formation of highly localized regions of def...

Water extractable arabinoxylan (WEAX) aerogels were prepared by extracting the solvent from the alcogels (WEAX hydrogels with an alcohol as the solvent) with carbon dioxide under supercritical conditions. WEAX aerogels were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and adsorption and desorption nitrogen isotherms. The micrographs indicate a heterogeneous porous network structure in WEAX ...

Silica monolith aerogels with different degrees of hydrophobicity by incorporating methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) or trimethylethoxysilane (TMES) in standard sol-gel synthesis were prepared. Excellent properties of the aerogels, obtained with the sol-gel synthesis, were preserved with supercritical drying with CO2. The degree of the hydrophobicity of the aerogels was tested by measuring the cont...

HCl-Catalyzed Polymerization of Benzoxazine and Chemical Transformations along Pyrolysis to Microporous Carbons in Advanced and Emerging Polybenzoxazine Science and Technology Report Title This chapter describes a room-temperature HCl-catalyzed synthesis of polybenzoxazine aerogels from bisphenol A, formaldehyde and aniline that cuts the typical multi-day high-temperature (?130 oC) route to a f...

A brief overview of siloxane-based low-density aerogels and aerogels-like xerogels is presented. Aerogels are highly porous solids composed of inorganic oxides, metals, cross-linked polymers and carbons, and are known to possess a number of excellent physical properties such as high visible-light transparency with low refractive index, low dielectric properties, and extremely-low thermal conduc...

Thermoreversible gel of meloxicam, efficient for the treatment of joint diseases, was aimed to prepare for night application available for chronotherapy in this study. Poloxamer 407 and 188 polymers were used at 20-30% w/w as a vehicle in combination with different additives (polyvinylmethylether maleic anhydride copolymer, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyethylene glycol 400, dimethyl sulfox...

In this paper an overview about the applications of Aerogels in the fields of pharmacy, cosmetics, medicine, agriculture and biotechnology is given. The in situ encapsulation of proteins and enzymes into aerogels was shown to be a very promising technique leading to the increase of biocatalytical activity. Furthermore aerogels are used as host matrix for bio-active compounds, which improve or e...

The removal of Diclofenac sodium from waste waters has a high relevance since it belongs to the therapeutic group most commonly found in wastes. An aromatic-free and low-impact technology that efficiently entraps aqueous pollutants is highly desirable. We synthesised two Boc-protected tripeptides (Boc-L-Ala-Aib-L-Val-OH Boc-L-Val-Aib-L-Val-OH) studied their ability form gels with mixtures water...

To aid the development of IGCC technologies, the unique properties of aerogels were exploited to research purifying systems for H2S, NO, and Hg that are durable and efficient. Aerogels can be used to capture hot gases based on their high surface areas and great tendency to form composites with various other sorbents or structural supports. Silica aerogels are at the heart of the study. Sol-gel ...