Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

15 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

U(rano)topia: spectral skies and rainbow holograms for silica aerogel artworks.

ABSTRACT: Micro/nano structuring in distinct chemical compositions has demonstrated added values which could be utilized in various modern applications and products through the lens of visual arts. Silica aerogel is a prominent example of such a nanostructure, with which we recently utilized to accommodate the unique design of high jewelry. Using its natural shades and transparent layers, silica aerogel can be described by the first author, a visual artist, as an extremely beautiful and ethereal material that closely resembles a piece of sky. Ultimately silica aerogel can be exploited as a sky-like material, and has been used in numerous collaborations amongst artists and scientists to bring to life concepts, like rainbow holograms on silica aerogel dried by high-temperature supercritical drying with methanol. In this short review, we show how such collaborations the authors have been proceeding are evoking developments in science and technology as well as in design, fashion and art industries. The series of the collaborative research has been contributing to the development of quality end products by merging new technologies, novel functional materials and innovative manufacturing processes with visual arts.

SUBMITTER: Michaloudis I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8896977 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Preparation and Characterization of Silica Aerogel Microspheres.

Project description:Silica aerogel microspheres based on alkali silica sol were synthesized using the emulsion method. The experimental results revealed that the silica aerogel microspheres (4-20 µm in diameter) were mesoporous solids with an average pore diameter ranging from 6 to 35 nm. The tapping densities and specific surface areas of the aerogel microspheres are in the range of 0.112-0.287 g/cm³ and 207.5-660.6 m²/g, respectively. The diameter of the silica aerogel microspheres could be tailored by varying the processing conditions including agitation rate, water/oil ratio, mass ratio of Span 80: Tween 80, and emulsifier concentration. The effects of these parameters on the morphology and textural properties of the synthesized silica aerogel microspheres were systematically investigated. Such silica aerogel microspheres can be used to prepare large-scale silica aerogels at an ambient pressure for applications in separation and high efficiency catalysis, which requires features of high porosity and easy fill and recovery.

| S-EPMC5506966 | biostudies-literature

Cellular Automata Modeling of Silica Aerogel Condensation Kinetics.

Project description:The formation of silica aerogels and the kinetics of condensation were investigated numerically. The influence of the reaction-limited to the diffusion-limited aggregation (RLA to DLA) transition on the reaction kinetics curves and the evolution of the aggregate size distribution during condensation were examined. The 2D cellular automaton was developed and applied to reflect the process of secondary particle aggregation. Several tendencies were observed due to the adjustment of the model parameters: the probability of condensation reaction and the particles' concentration. The final wet-gel structures' visualizations proves that the structure becomes more dense and compact due to entering the RLA regime. The simulation time (associated with the gelation time) decreased along with the increase in both model parameters. The lower the collision probability, the slower reaction becomes, and particles are more likely to penetrate the structure deeper until they finally join the aggregate. The developed model reflects the condensation process's nature and its mechanisms properly and indicates a significant potential for further aerogel synthesis investigations and for the prediction of wet-gel properties according to condensation parameters.

| S-EPMC8167578 | biostudies-literature

Gradual hydrophobization of silica aerogel for controlled drug release.

Project description:We report on the successful fine-tuning of silica aerogel hydrophobicity, through a gas-phase surface modification process. Aerogel hydrophobicity is a widely discussed matter, as it contributes to the aerogel's preservation and determines its functionality. Still, a general procedure for tuning the hydrophobicity, without affecting other aerogel properties was missing. In the developed procedure, silica aerogel was modified with trimethylchlorosilane vapor for varying durations, resulting in gradual hydrophobicity, determined by solid-state NMR and contact angle measurements. The generality of this post-synthesis treatment allows its application on a variety of aerogel materials, while having minimum effect on their porosity and transparency. We demonstrate the applicability of the gradual hydrophobization by tuning drug release rates from the silica aerogel. Two chlorhexidine salts - widely employed as antiseptic agents - were used as model drugs, one representing a soluble drug, and the other an insoluble drug; they were entrapped in silica aerogel, following hydrophobization to varying degrees. The drug release patterns showed that depending on the degree, hydrophobization can increase or decrease release kinetics, compared to the unmodified aerogel. This arises from the effect of the hydrophobic degree on pore structure, diffusional rates and wetting of the aerogel carrier. We suggest the use of the gradual hydrophobization process for other drug-aerogel systems, as well as for other aerogel applications, such as transparent insulation panels, contaminate sorbents or catalysis supports.

| S-EPMC8695093 | biostudies-literature

Thermal Gelation for Synthesis of Surface-Modified Silica Aerogel Powders.

Project description:A spherical silica aerogel powder with hydrophobic surfaces displaying a water contact angle of 147° was synthesized from a water glass-in-hexane emulsion through ambient pressure drying. Water glass droplets containing acetic acid and ethyl alcohol were stabilized in n-hexane with a surfactant. Gelation was performed by heating the droplets, followed by solvent exchange and surface modification using a hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS)/n-hexane solution. The pH of the silicic acid solution was crucial in obtaining a highly porous silica aerogel powder with a spherical morphology. The thermal conductivity, tapped density, pore volume, and BET surface area of the silica aerogel powder were 22.4 mW·m-1K-1, 0.07 g·cm-3, 4.64 cm3·g-1, and 989 m2·g-1, respectively. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy analysis showed that the silica granule surface was modified by Si-CH3 groups, producing a hydrophobic aerogel.

| S-EPMC8701169 | biostudies-literature

Nanoindentation of Graphene-Reinforced Silica Aerogel: A Molecular Dynamics Study.

Project description:In the present work, we performed nanoindentation tests using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on graphene, native silica aerogels, and single- and multi-layered graphene-reinforced silica aerogel nanocomposites. This work mainly focused on the two aspects of nanoindentation simulations: first, the resultant indentation force-depth curves, and second, the associated mechanical deformation behavior. We found that in the single-layer graphene-reinforced silica aerogel nanocomposite, the indentation resistance was four-fold that of native silica aerogels. Moreover, the combined system proved to be higher in stiffness compared to the individual material. Furthermore, the indentation resistance was increased significantly as we proceeded from single- to two-layered graphene-reinforced silica aerogel nanocomposites. The results of the study provide a detailed understanding of the mechanical behavior during the indentation tests of nanocomposites, which helps to design advanced nanoscale multi-layered materials.

| S-EPMC6480658 | biostudies-literature

Carbon Nanostructures-Silica Aerogel Composites for Adsorption of Organic Pollutants.

Project description:Silica aerogels are a class of materials that can be tailored in terms of their final properties and surface chemistry. They can be synthesized with specific features to be used as adsorbents, resulting in improved performance for wastewater pollutants' removal. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of amino functionalization and the addition of carbon nanostructures to silica aerogels made from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) on their removal capacities for various contaminants in aqueous solutions. The MTMS-based aerogels successfully removed various organic compounds and drugs, achieving adsorption capacities of 170 mg⋅g-1 for toluene and 200 mg⋅g-1 for xylene. For initial concentrations up to 50 mg⋅L-1, removals greater than 71% were obtained for amoxicillin, and superior to 96% for naproxen. The addition of a co-precursor containing amine groups and/or carbon nanomaterials was proven to be a valuable tool in the development of new adsorbents by altering the aerogels' properties and enhancing their adsorption capacities. Therefore, this work demonstrates the potential of these materials as an alternative to industrial sorbents due to their high and fast removal efficiency, less than 60 min for the organic compounds, towards different types of pollutants.

| S-EPMC10059775 | biostudies-literature

Robust Silica-Bacterial Cellulose Composite Aerogel Fibers for Thermal Insulation Textile.

Project description:Aerogels are nanoporous materials with excellent properties, especially super thermal insulation. However, owing to their serious high brittleness, the macroscopic forms of aerogels are not sufficiently rich for the application in some fields, such as thermal insulation clothing fabric. Recently, freeze spinning and wet spinning have been attempted for the synthesis of aerogel fibers. In this study, robust fibrous silica-bacterial cellulose (BC) composite aerogels with high performance were synthesized in a novel way. Silica sol was diffused into a fiber-like matrix, which was obtained by cutting the BC hydrogel and followed by secondary shaping to form a composite wet gel fiber with a nanoscale interpenetrating network structure. The tensile strength of the resulting aerogel fibers reached up to 5.4 MPa because the quantity of BC nanofibers in the unit volume of the matrix was improved significantly by the secondary shaping process. In addition, the composite aerogel fibers had a high specific area (up to 606.9 m2/g), low density (less than 0.164 g/cm3), and outstanding hydrophobicity. Most notably, they exhibited excellent thermal insulation performance in high-temperature (210 °C) or low-temperature (-72 °C) environments. Moreover, the thermal stability of CAFs (decomposition temperature was about 330 °C) was higher than that of natural polymer fiber. A novel method was proposed herein to prepare aerogel fibers with excellent performance to meet the requirements of wearable applications.

| S-EPMC8482140 | biostudies-literature

Manufacturing silica aerogel and cryogel through ambient pressure and freeze drying.

Project description:Achieving a mesoporous structure in superinsulation materials is pivotal for guaranteeing a harmonious relationship between low thermal conductivity, high porosity, and low density. Herein, we report silica-based cryogel and aerogel materials by implementing freeze-drying and ambient-pressure-drying processes respectively. The obtained freeze-dried cryogels yield thermal conductivity of 23 mW m-1 K-1, with specific surface area of 369.4 m2 g-1, and porosity of 96.7%, whereas ambient-pressure-dried aerogels exhibit thermal conductivity of 23.6 mW m-1 K-1, specific surface area of 473.8 m2 g-1, and porosity of 97.4%. In addition, the fiber-reinforced nanocomposites obtained via freeze-drying feature a low thermal conductivity (28.0 mW m-1 K-1) and high mechanical properties (∼620 kPa maximum compressive stress and Young's modulus of 715 kPa), coupled with advanced flame-retardant capabilities, while the composite materials from the ambient pressure drying process have thermal conductivity of 28.8 mW m-1 K-1, ∼200 kPa maximum compressive stress and Young's modulus of 612 kPa respectively. The aforementioned results highlight the capabilities of both drying processes for the development of thermal insulation materials for energy-efficient applications.

| S-EPMC9341427 | biostudies-literature

Luminescent Hybrid Material Based on Boron Organic Phosphor and Silica Aerogel Matrix.

Project description:A new luminescent hybrid material based on silica aerogel and a boron-containing coordination compound with 8-hydroxyquinoline was created, and its physicochemical and spectral-luminescent characteristics were studied. A simple scheme for the synthesis of a hybrid luminescent material was developed. Simultaneously with the synthesis of the aerogel, the formation of a boron-containing phosphor was carried out using an isopropanol solution of boric acid and 8-hydroxyquinoline. Using in situ luminescent measurements, the mechanisms of the formation of boron-based luminescent complexes in isopropanol and tetrahydrofuran media were established. Both hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica aerogels were tested as matrices for the hybrid material. The formation of a thin layer of a boron-containing coordination luminescent compound on the highly developed surface of the SiO2 aerogel made it possible to strongly stabilize the aerogel structure and noticeably increase the thermal stability of the synthesized hybrid material.

| S-EPMC9416728 | biostudies-literature

Seeing the rainbow: mechanisms underlying spectral sensitivity in teleost fishes.

Project description:Among vertebrates, teleost eye diversity exceeds that found in all other groups. Their spectral sensitivities range from ultraviolet to red, and the number of visual pigments varies from 1 to over 40. This variation is correlated with the different ecologies and life histories of fish species, including their variable aquatic habitats: murky lakes, clear oceans, deep seas and turbulent rivers. These ecotopes often change with the season, but fish may also migrate between ecotopes diurnally, seasonally or ontogenetically. To survive in these variable light habitats, fish visual systems have evolved a suite of mechanisms that modulate spectral sensitivities on a range of timescales. These mechanisms include: (1) optical media that filter light, (2) variations in photoreceptor type and size to vary absorbance and sensitivity, and (3) changes in photoreceptor visual pigments to optimize peak sensitivity. The visual pigment changes can result from changes in chromophore or changes to the opsin. Opsin variation results from changes in opsin sequence, opsin expression or co-expression, and opsin gene duplications and losses. Here, we review visual diversity in a number of teleost groups where the structural and molecular mechanisms underlying their spectral sensitivities have been relatively well determined. Although we document considerable variability, this alone does not imply functional difference per se. We therefore highlight the need for more studies that examine species with known sensitivity differences, emphasizing behavioral experiments to test whether such differences actually matter in the execution of visual tasks that are relevant to the fish.

| S-EPMC7188444 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data