The relationship between the rheology of polymer/clay aqueous suspensions and the structure and mechanical properties of aerogels which are produced by freeze drying those suspensions will be discussed. Since the aerogel structure is derived from that of the hydrogel, which is then further structured by the formation of ice, it is important to understand the gel rheological properties. In the present work clay and poly(vinyl alcohol) are combined in water to prepare a colloidal suspension, which is then freeze dried to produce the final product, typically ranging between 0.05 � 0.15 g/cm3 in density.  The variation of structures with gel composition has been confirmed using SEM and confocal microscopy.  Effects of polymer molecular weight on this process will be discussed, as will processing variables, helping lead to a fundamental understanding of the processing of these materials.

Importance of gel rheology upon polymer/clay aerogel structure

248th National Meeting (2014)

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