One-pot synthesis and characterization of acid-catalyzed melamine formaldehyde/SiO2 aerogel via sol–gel technology

This paper reports a rapid synthesis of a novel melamine–formaldehyde (MF)/SiO2 aerogel with good transparency carried out by acid-catalyzed chemical dehydration and polycondensation of poly (melamine-co-formaldehyde) methylated and hydrolyzed tetraethoxysilane respectively in one pot via sol–gel process and subsequently supercritical drying with CO2. The one-pot method improves the efficiency and reduces the cost of MF/SiO2 aerogels. The gelation time can be as short as 13 h under the appropriate conditions, much less than that of MF aerogel obtained by traditional process. The structural properties of the aerogels were characterized by the field emission scanning electron microscopy, the Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller methods. The results indicate the hybrid aerogel has a micro-mesoporous structure with a high surface area about 747 m2/g and the two components combine with each other by physical interaction.