Facile processing of clays into organically‐modified aerogels

A facile process for the conversion of clay powders to organically modified clay aerogels (OMCAs) is reported. The resultant clay aerogels are of potential interest for a variety of applications, by themselves, or as a component in composite materials. Freeze‐drying aqueous clay‐surfactant solutions isolates these highly organized materials. Robust OMCAs are formed from clay‐surfactant compositions that initially produce stable surfactant modified clay‐water suspensions. Characterization of the OMCA by FTIR, WAXD, and TGA confirms the retention of surfactant after freeze‐drying, while SEM and porosimetry data show a structural reorganization of clay sheet bundles.