Abstract: Silica aerogels were prepared at ambient drying by using ethanol/trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS)/heptane solution as pore water exchange and surface modification of the wet gel before drying. The obtained silica aerogels exhibit a sponge-like structure with uniform pore size distribution. The effects of heat-treatment on the hydrophobicity, specific surface area and other properties were investigated. The results indicated that the hydrophobicity of silica aerogels could be maintained up to 350℃. With increasing heating temperature, hydrophobicity decreased, and became completely hydrophilic after heat-treatment at 500℃. Brunaueremmitt-teller (BET) surface area results indicated that the specific surface area of silica aerogels increased with increasing heating temperature in the range of 150–500℃. The effects of heat-treatment on the morphology and chemical bonding state of silica aerogels were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential temperature analysis (DTA) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Key words: Silica aerogel, Ambient drying, Hydrophobicity, Specific surface area, Heat-treatment