Hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol as a new solvent for aerogels preparation

• Hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol (HFIP) is a novel solvent for aerogel (AG) synthesis.
• HFIP modifies surface of aerogels upon supercritical drying.
• HFIP provides a 45–60 °C lower drying temperature for AG synthesis than ethanol.
• HFIP-dried AGs have two times higher specific surface area than ethanol-dried ones.

Fluorinated alcohols are claimed to be promising solvents for supercritical drying. A number of metal oxide aerogels (both monoliths and powders) including silica, alumina and zirconia were prepared using hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol. It is shown that the specific surface area of all the aerogels dried in hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol is twice that of the aerogels prepared in ethanol. Surface modification of aerogels with fluorinated organic species is shown to take place upon supercritical drying.

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