Chemical Analyses of Silicon Aerogel Samples

TL;DR

This paper investigates the chemical and physical causes of performance degradation in silicon aerogel counters used in a physics experiment, through detailed analyses of materials to identify contaminants.

Contribution

It provides a detailed chemical and physical analysis of aerogel samples to identify potential contaminants responsible for performance loss.

Findings

Identification of chemical contaminants in aerogel samples

Correlation between contaminants and performance degradation

Insights into material stability over five years

Abstract

After five years of operating, two Aerogel counters: A1 and A2, taking data in Hall A at Jefferson Lab, suffered a loss of performance. In this note possible causes of degradation have been studied. In particular, various chemical and physical analyses have been carried out on several Aerogel tiles and on adhesive tape in order to reveal the presence of contaminants.