A new trend for development of mechanically robust hybrid silica aerogels

•A mechanically robust silica aerogel based on SI-RAFT technique was prepared.•The compressive strength of silica aerogel improved 36 times over pristine aerogel.•Density and physical properties were marginally affected by crosslinking.

In this study, a mechanically robust silica aerogel has been successfully prepared based on the integration of a crosslinker in the poly (butyl acrylate) grafted silica network via surface - initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer technique. Substantial improvements regarding the compressive strength with only a slight difference in aerogel physical properties have been achieved.

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