Effects of Precursor Concentration and Drying on the Physicochemical and Thermal Properties of Co‐Precursor‐Based Silica Aerogel

Aerogels are modern thermal insulation materials due to their low density, high porosity, and extremely low thermal conductivity. However, the mechanical stability and hydrophilicity of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)‐based aerogels limit their use for commercialization. Adding methyltrimetoxysilane (MTMS) as a co‐precursor with TEOS can improve various properties of silica aerogels. Herein, we have prepared co‐precursor‐based silica aerogels using sol–gel process by room temperature aging and studied the effect of precursor concentration and drying method on the properties of these silica aerogels. The aerogel was characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, thermal conductivity, and Brunauer–emmett–teller (BET) analysis. The BET surface area of aerogel indicates high porosity (231–869 m 2 g −1 ) of the aerogels. The contact angle studies of aerogels show hydrophilic (71.4°) to hydrophobic (133.5°) nature with increase in MTMS concentration. These aerogels were thermally stable upto 550°C, and the lowest thermal conductivity value observed was 0.021 W m −1 K −1 for M10H aerogel. These exceptional properties illustrate that these co‐precursors‐based aerogels can be used in the field of thermal insulation for aerospace, automobile, and construction sectors.