Synthesis and characterization of monolithic Gd2O3 aerogels

Abstract In this thesis, we will elaborate on the synthesis and characterization of monolithic Gd2O3 aerogel. We conducted the experiment in the following procedure. Use gadolinium nitrate or gadolinium chloride, a kind of inorganic gadolinium salt as raw material, and polymerize it in ethanol with propylene oxide as gelation initiator in the way of sol–gel. After this step, we can obtain the wet gel. Then, dry the wet gel by supercritical CO2, at last we will get aerogel. The product has strong transparency and also shows some thermal stability. XRD characterization shows that it is amorphous. Nitrogen adsorption/desorption analysis tells clearly its surface area (223 m2/g), average pore diameters (42 nm) and large pore volume (1.83 ml/g). It is also characterized by transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.