Nanoclay-Based PVA Aerogels: Synthesis and Characterization

Simón-Herrero, Carolina; Gómez, Leonir; Romero, Amaya; Valverde, J.L.; Sánchez-Silva, L.

doi:10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00385

Cited by 25 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…[26,27] To date, a variety of aerogels based on PVA have been successfully fabricated. However, such PVA aerogels are usually prepared by freeze‐drying a modified PVA solution directly,[28–31] which results in a higher aerogel density. Moreover, to improve their mechanical properties, crosslinking agents—such as glutaraldehyde,[32] melamine formaldehyde,[33] and divinyl sulfone,[34] which have recognized disadvantages including potential toxic effects—are commonly used in the fabrication of PVA‐based aerogels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facile and Green Strategy for Designing Ultralight, Flexible, and Multifunctional PVA Nanofiber‐Based Aerogels

Zhu

Yang

et al. 2020

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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significant attention. However, their practical application is seriously restricted by their poor flexibility and fragility, which result from inefficient structure continuity and the loose connections between the socalled "pearl necklace-like" strings of inorganic nanoparticles. [24] As an alternative to inorganic aerogels, an organic aerogel was produced from resorcinol formaldehyde in 1987. [25] This was followed by the production of various other polymer aerogels (polyimide, polyurethane, polybenzoxazine, polyurea, and polystyrene), which reportedly had excellent mechanical properties, ultralow density, favorable thermal insulation properties, and diverse molecular designs. The preparation of these polymer aerogels often starts with their monomers or precursors and is followed by a supercritical drying process, which involves a sophisticated, expensive, and time-consuming synthesis process. Moreover, the use of toxic organic solvents is often inevitable. Therefore, a simple, feasible, and environmentally friendly method of preparing advanced aerogels with satisfying mechanical property and multifunctionality from widely available low-cost raw materials remains desirable.Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) is a widely available and inexpensive polymer that is an attractive material for the fabrication of aerogels because it is biocompatible, chemically stable, has excellent mechanical properties, and is nontoxic. [26,27] To date, a variety of aerogels based on PVA have been successfully fabricated. However, such PVA aerogels are usually prepared by freeze-drying a modified PVA solution directly, [28][29][30][31] which results in a higher aerogel density. Moreover, to improve their mechanical properties, crosslinking agents-such as glutaraldehyde, [32] melamine formaldehyde, [33] and divinyl sulfone, [34] which have recognized disadvantages including potential toxic effects-are commonly used in the fabrication of PVA-based aerogels. [27] This greatly hinders the quantification of aerogels and their practical application. Therefore, it is an important challenge to develop a simple, low-cost, nontoxic, and green route for PVA aerogel synthesis.In recent years, new aerogels based on polymer nanofibers have been developed. [35][36][37][38] The nanofibers serve as building blocks to form a chemically crosslinked and/or physically entangled 3D network, unlike the interconnected framework of colloidal particles in inorganic aerogels. [38,39] Nanofiberbased aerogels do not have "necks" in their skeletons. This Polymer nanofiber aerogels are highly flexible and elastic. However, their preparation in a simple, low-cost, and environmentally friendly manner remains challenging. Herein, a green strategy for preparing an ultralight poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofiber aerogel by electrospinning and freezedrying is reported. A simple thermal crosslinking method is used to make a mechanically robust material that can withstand up to 1000 times its own weight, i.e., no toxic crosslinking agents or organic solvents are used in any part of ...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facile and Green Strategy for Designing Ultralight, Flexible, and Multifunctional PVA Nanofiber‐Based Aerogels

Zhu

Yang

et al. 2020

Advanced Sustainable Systems

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“…A stress-strain analysis was carried out to determine Young's modulus. As shown in Table 1, polymer aerogels reinforced with CNFs [22] showed better mechanical…”

Section: Successful Synthesis and Characterization Of Aerogelsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Taylor-made aerogels through a freeze-drying process: economic assessment

Simón-Herrero

Romero

Dorado

et al. 2018

J Sol-Gel Sci Technol

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Polymer aerogels reinforced with carbon nanofibers and alumina aerogels reinforced with hydroxyethyl-cellulose have been successfully synthesized by means of a pilot plant freeze-drying process. Their main physicochemical properties have been measured and compared, and their production costs have been computed. The SWOT matrix of the process has been determined from internal and external analyses, revealing the interest of these products as building insulation materials and the need of establishing a detailed economic analysis. A homemade Excel-VBA application was designed in order to determine the economic parameters of the freeze-drying process. As a consequence of the total economic and physicochemical analysis, it was concluded that the production of aerogels reinforced with hydroxyethyl-cellulose could only be recommended if they are used as an insulating material in buildings with higher thermal stability requirements.

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“…NC composites are frequently employed in applications that need a variety of mechanical properties along with desirable characteristics and physical traits such as lightweight [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. NC is utilised as a filler in polymer composite systems, such as nanoclay–epoxy (NC-EP) systems [ 15 ], to enhance the mechanical properties of the parent polymer [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. Pinto et al [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ] studied the mechanical characteristics of EP-based nanocomposites after dispersing nanoclay using sonication [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ] and surfactants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancement of the Properties of Hybridizing Epoxy and Nanoclay for Mechanical, Industrial, and Biomedical Applications

et al. 2022

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The strong demand for plastic and polymeric materials continues to grow year after year, making these industries critical to address sustainability. By functioning as a filler in either a synthetic or natural starch matrix, nanoclay enables significant reductions in the impact of nonbiodegradable materials. The effect of treated nanoclay (NC) loading on the mechanical and morphological properties (EP) of epoxy is investigated in this research. The NC-EP nanocomposites were prepared via casting. The investigation begins with adding NC at concentrations of 1, 2, and 3 weight percent, followed by the effect of acid treatment on the same nanocomposites. The evaluation is focused on four mechanical tensile strength parameters: Young’s modulus, maximum load, and % elongation. The addition of NC improved the mechanical properties of the four components by 27.2%, 33.38%, 46.98%, and 43.58%, respectively. The acid treatment improved 35.9%, 42.8%, 51.1%, and 83.5%, respectively. These improvements were attributed to NC’s ability to alter the structural morphology as assessed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), a tool for analysing the microstructure. FESEM images were used to visualise the interaction between the NC and EP nanocomposites. The dynamic mechanical properties of the hybrid nanocomposites were investigated using storage modulus, loss modulus, and tan(delta). The results have shown that the viscoelastic properties improved as the fraction of NC increased. The overall findings suggest that these nanocomposites could be used in various industrial and biomedical applications.

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Nanoclay-Based PVA Aerogels: Synthesis and Characterization

Cited by 25 publications

References 26 publications

Facile and Green Strategy for Designing Ultralight, Flexible, and Multifunctional PVA Nanofiber‐Based Aerogels

Facile and Green Strategy for Designing Ultralight, Flexible, and Multifunctional PVA Nanofiber‐Based Aerogels

Taylor-made aerogels through a freeze-drying process: economic assessment

Enhancement of the Properties of Hybridizing Epoxy and Nanoclay for Mechanical, Industrial, and Biomedical Applications

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