A poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(L-lactide) diblock copolymer (PEO-b-PLLA) is characterized by matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and a block length distribution map is constructed. Although the MALDI-TOF mass spectrum of PEO-b-PLLA is very complicated, most of the polymer species were identified by isolating the overlapped isotope patterns and by fitting the overlapped peaks to the Schulz-Zimm distribution function. Reconstructed MALDI-TOF MS spectrum was nearly identical to the measured spectrum and this method shows its potential to be developed as an easy and fast analysis method of low molecular weight block copolymers.

Silica aerogels using sodium silicates was synthesized by atmospheric-pressure drying. Granulation of silica aerogels was carried out in sequence of hydrogel formation, aging, surface modification, and drying. Rapidly prepared aerogels showed good properties in case aging and surface modification was done within 1 day. Drying is critical to aerogel granulation and the BET area of aerogel dried for a short duration had decreasing with time. It is suggested that sodium silicate-based aerogels granulation could be prepared within less than 5 days, half of initial processing. Aerogel granules had the average diameter of 1 mm and nearly spherical shape. It has very low thermal conductivity of 0.010 W/m⋅K, very light-weight and nanoporous structure with a porosity of upto 95%.