Semicrystalline polymer aerogels are porous, physically crosslinked networks that have unique properties such as being mechanically robust, highly porous, low density, low thermal conductivity, and having the potential for a high surface area. These properties make them appealing for use in areas such as acoustics, chemical absorbents, drug delivery, and aerospace insulation applications. Through thermally induced phase separation (TIPS), we have produced a range of aerogels utilizing the high-performance engineering thermoplastics poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) and poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK). The goal of this research is to explore the effect of thermal history, polymer weight percentage, and solvent on resulting surface area and gel morphology. Changing these parameters revealed a range of morphologies and surface areas, which were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption utilizing the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A surface area of 510 m2/g was achieved for PEKK aerogels, considerably higher than reported in literature for similar PEKK materials. A variety of PEEK aerogel morphologies were attained through changing gelation temperature and polymer content.

Semicrystalline polymer aerogels: Analysis and manipulation of physical crosslinking structures

ACS Spring 2022

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