# Preparation of Polystyrene/SiO2 Composite Aerogel Microspheres

## TL;DR

This paper presents a new method to create strong, hydrophobic silica aerogel microspheres using polymer reinforcement and surface modification.

## Contribution

The novel use of a HMDS/KH570 hydrophobic system and Sty-DVB copolymerization for nanoscale reinforcement in aerogel microspheres.

## Key findings

- Optimized microspheres achieved a specific surface area of 604.8 m²/g and thermal conductivity of 0.030 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹.
- The dual hydrophobic modifier system effectively enhanced surface wettability and mechanical stability.
- Short-term thermal post-treatment improved the strength and practical applicability of the aerogel microspheres.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Surface functionalization-coordinated enhancement via W/O emulsion & in situ copolym.The innovative application of a HMDS/KH570 binary hydrophobic modifier system.Developed Sty-DVB copolymerization for nanoscale reinforcement layer on aerogel microspheres.

Surface functionalization-coordinated enhancement via W/O emulsion & in situ copolym.

The innovative application of a HMDS/KH570 binary hydrophobic modifier system.

Developed Sty-DVB copolymerization for nanoscale reinforcement layer on aerogel microspheres.

What are the implications of the main findings?
The study provides an efficient strategy for hydrophobic and structural enhancement of SiO2 aerogel.The application of dual hydrophobic modifiers demonstrates potential for tuning surface wettability.Nanoscale reinforcement layer enhances aerogel stability, expanding applications.

The study provides an efficient strategy for hydrophobic and structural enhancement of SiO2 aerogel.

The application of dual hydrophobic modifiers demonstrates potential for tuning surface wettability.

Nanoscale reinforcement layer enhances aerogel stability, expanding applications.

Silica aerogel microspheres demonstrate tremendous potential as fillers for diverse materials across various fields. Enhancing the strength of silica aerogel microspheres is therefore crucial for their practical applications. This study aims to develop novel hydrophobic polymer-reinforced silica aerogel microspheres using water glass as the precursor, hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) as the modifier, and styrene as the crosslinking agent, with further strength enhancement achieved through short-term thermal post-treatment. The effects of varying polystyrene coating levels, crosslinker dosage, and short-term heat treatment on the structure and properties of silica aerogel were investigated. The optimized silica aerogel microspheres (Sample A-6) exhibited a specific surface area of 604.8 m2/g and a thermal conductivity of 0.030 W·m−1·K−1 and demonstrated excellent hydrophobicity and mechanical stability.