DEVELOPMENT OF NANOTECHNOLOGICAL PRODUCTS, PARTICULARLY SILICA AEROGELS, HYBRIDIZED WITH POLYMERS, TO OBTAIN MATERIALS WITH HIGH IMPACT RESISTANCE FOR APPLICATIONS IN DRONES AND AEROSPACE STRUCTURES.

• Grant number: 24/02677-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Aerospace Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Arnaldo Carlos Morelli
• Grantee: Paulo Aparecido Fernandes Bau
• Host Institution: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP). Campus São Carlos. São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Silica aerogels are nanoporous materials obtained through the sol-gel technology with unusual properties, such as high surface area (500-1200 m2/g), high porosity (80-99.8%), and low density (~0.003 g/cm3) (Frike, J., & Ermmeling, A. 1999). When hybridized with polymers, these materials can create new materials with enhanced physical and mechanical properties and low densities, which are of great interest to various segments of the aerospace industry. In our case, we aim to focus our research on the development of hybrid materials with densities ranging from 0.20 to 0.50 g/cm3, which have high impact resistance and final compressive strengths exceeding 50 MPa. In our initial research, we were able to obtain aerogels with densities between 0.20 and 0.30 g/cm3, with mechanical compressive and flexural strengths of approximately 700 kPa and 5 kPa, respectively, and chemically hydrophobic properties.Our proposal involves the use of new resins and network reinforcements in the gel structure, so that properties such as impact resistance and compressive strength are significantly increased, thus allowing for the production of stronger materials while maintaining their initial physical characteristics, such as density and hydrophobicity, unchanged.