Preparation and characterization of high surface area ZrO2 aerogel modified by SiO2

摘要

Monolithic high surface area ZrO2 aerogel modified by SiO2 was successfully prepared by a sol–gel process followed by atmospheric pressure drying, using formamide as a drying control chemical additive and tetraethoxysilane solution for modification. The microstructure of the resultant core–shell ZrO2/SiO2 aerogel was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Appropriate choice of formamide and tetraethoxysilane solution allowed the formation of the core–shell ZrO2/SiO2 aerogel with a BET surface area of 619 m2/g, a pore size of 8.2 nm and a bulk density of 0.202 g/cm3.