Solvent management methods for gel production

摘要

Embodiments of the present invention describe a method for continuous manufacture of a gel material comprising the steps of: forming a gel sheet by dispensing a gel precursor mixture onto a moving element at a rate effective to allow gelation to occur to the gel precursor mixture on the moving element; and cooling the formed gel thereby reducing the rate of solvent evaporation therefrom.

主权项

1. A method for continuous manufacture of a gel material comprising:
(a) forming a fiber-reinforced gel sheet with thickness of at least about 0.5 mm by dispensing a fibrous structure and a gel precursor solution comprising a solvent onto a moving element at a first temperature and at a predetermined rate effective to allow gelation to occur at the first temperature to the gel precursor solution on the moving element; and (b) cooling the formed gel sheet on the moving element at a second temperature with a cooling system not in physical contact with the sheet, wherein the second temperature is cooler than the first temperature.