Silica aerogels are materials of interest due to their high porosity and surface area in addition to their low thermal conductivity. Silica microparticles will be incorporated into the aerogel network before gelation, and by controlling the arrangement of microparticles in the aerogel matrix, the material composites can also be tailored to exhibit desired electrical properties. An electric field will be applied to the aerogel-particle solution, and as the silica networks form, the particles will flow in response to the electric field. This field can be adjusted to create patterns with the microparticles. The motion of the microparticles will be monitored over time with a microscope with a built-in camera as the gel network polymerizes and becomes fixed. An existing Monte Carlo model with the code written in Fortran will be used to simulate the motion of the nanoparticles.

Colloid particle motion and aggregation in silica aerogels: Experiment and simulation

249th National Meeting (2015)

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