Diethyl and methyl-tert-buthyl ethers as new solvents for aerogels preparation

• Diethyl and methyl-tert-buthyl ethers are novel solvents for aerogel (AGs) synthesis.
• Ethers-dried AGs have two times higher specific surface area than ethanol-dried ones.
• Ethers provide lower drying temperature for AG synthesis than ethanol.

New solvents for aerogels synthesis by supercritical drying namely diethyl ether and methyl-tert-buthyl ether are proposed. A number of oxide aerogels including silica, alumina and zirconia were prepared using these solvents. Composition and properties of aerogel samples were studied using BET, XRD and TGA–DTA methods.

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