Advanced characterization
We apply a wide range of analytical techniques and tailor the experimental protocols to the characterization of aerogel materials. Often, we take these methods beyond the state-of-the art to gain new insights into the chemistry and nano- and microstructure of silica aerogels, their hybrids and composites, including solid-state NMR [1,2], X-ray microtomography and quasi-elastic neutron scattering [3].
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[1] Malfait, W.J. et al., 2014. Hydrophobization of Silica Aerogels: Insigths from Quantitative Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy. Journal of physical Chemistry C 118, 25545-25554. [2] Malfait, W.J. et al., 2015. The Surface Chemistry of Hydrophobic Silica Aerogels. Chemistry of Materials 27, 6737-6747. [3] Malfait, W.J. et al., The dynamics of silica aerogel’s hydrophobic groups: a quasielastic neutron scattering study. Journal of Physical Chemistry C doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b06011.