Method of casting aerogels

摘要

The invention describes a method for making monolithic castings of transparent silica aerogel with densities in the range from 0.001 g/cm3 to 0.6 g/cm3. Various shapes of aerogels are cast in flexible polymer molds which facilitate removal and eliminate irregular surfaces. Mold dimensions are preselected to account for shrinkage of alcogel which occurs during the drying step of supercritical extraction of solvent.