PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF SOME HYBRID AEROGELS FROM A SULFOPOLYBENZOBISTHIAZOLE-SILICA COMPOSITE

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Abstract
Aerogels were prepared so as to have a hybrid structure, by carrying out the supercritical drying process on composites consisting of an in situ generated silica network as the inorganic phase and a high-temperature polymer as the organic phase. The goal was to maintain the best properties of both components, for example, decreasing the brittleness of the ceramic phase by introducing a polymeric phase. A polybenzobisthiazole of very high thermal stability, with sulfonation to increase its reactivity, was chosen for the organic phase, and it was bonded to the silica phase by a silane coupling agent. A range of silica/polymer compositions were investigated, and the resulting materials were characterized in terms of their moduli and ultimate properties in compression. Increase in the amount of polymer present decreased the moduli but increased deformabilities, yielding relationships that should be useful in the design of aerogels of optimized properties. Values of Poisson's ratio were also determined and use...