Evaluation and optimization of CO₂ driven processes for the production and applications of mesoporous networks

Mesoporous networks (2-50 nm) are extensively studied owing to the various possible applications ranging from  templates and  support materials,  controlled delivery systems for active ingredients to energy  storage  and  super-insulation.  This  work  investigates  the  supercritical  CO₂  drying  process parameters  of  various  sol-gel  systems  for  producing  these  networks  with  focus  on  process development and  optimization. Organic, inorganic and hybrid systems would be investigated. Special focus is provided on modelling the diffusion co-efficients of mesoporous networks and the influences of T, P, gel and solvent characteristics.

The integration of gel formation and solvent removal steps could significantly reduce processing time and  thereby  of  considerable  interest.  Novel  techniques  such  as  supercritical  spraying  and  CO₂ assisted  gelation  for  tailor  made  characteristics  and  performance  will  also  be  investigated  in  this regard.  Statistical  design  of  experiments  and  factor  analysis  would  be  adopted  for  tailoring  the particle characteristics (size, density, shape, surface area).