Stöber process
Videos
The Stöber process is a chemical process used to prepare silica particles of controllable and uniform size for applications in materials science. It was pioneering when it was reported by Werner Stöbe
TEM image of a nanoparticle of mesoporous silica
A block of an aerogel, a "solid blue smoke", which feels like very light-weight styrofoam to the touch
A 10 μm meteoroid particle captured by the EURECA spacecraft launched by STS-46 in a block of aerogel
This NASA silica aerogel is a thermal insulator that is sufficiently insulating to protect crayons from a Bunsen burner flame.
Aerogel
Videos
aerogel: composed of a microporous solid in which the dispersed phase is a gas.
Stöber process
…chromatography due to their high surface area and their uniform, tunable, and highly ordered pore structures. Highly effective thermal insulators known as aerogels can also be prepared using Stöber methods, and Stöber techniques have been applied to prepare non-silica aerogel systems. Applying supercritical drying…
Aerogel crystals produced in ScCO2 drying
A flower resting on a piece of silica aerogel, which is suspended over a flame from a Bunsen burner. Aerogels have excellent insulating properties, and the flower is protected from the heat of the flame.
A 2.5 kg brick is supported by a piece of aerogel with a mass of 2 g.