Facile synthesis of strong alumina-cellulose aerogels by a freeze-drying method

The strong alumina-cellulose aerogels (ACAs) were firstly prepared via sol-gel process and freeze-drying method. The hydrosoluble hydroxy ethyl cellulose (HEC) was chosen as reinforcement phase to enhance the skeletal strength of alumina aerogels. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, thermo gravimetric (TG) analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the microstructure and the connection of chemical groups. The compressive measurement result shows that ACAs possess high mechanical property and can realize partial elastic recovery.