@article{d9da6d4b225e4d43829170cca55439a0,
title = "Enhanced thermal stability of high yttria concentration YSZ aerogels",
abstract = "Aerogels are a promising class of materials for lightweight, high-performance insulation. However, their high specific surface area contributes to rapid densification of the structure at elevated temperatures. Upon densification, the favorable properties of low thermal conductivity and low density are lost. Investigation of doped metal oxide systems presents a route to stabilization of porous structures at high temperatures and a platform to study parameters conducive to thermal stability. Our work focuses on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) aerogels prepared via a sol-gel method and supercritically dried. Yttria concentrations were studied from 0 to 50 mol% YO1.5 to stabilize porosity to temperatures of 1200°C and develop an understanding of properties contributing to improved stability. Increased yttria content improved the thermal stability of the pore structure by reducing densification and suppressing crystallite growth, resulting in retention of the mesoporous structure to 1200°C. The improvement in thermal stability is related to associated reductions in specific surface energy and cation diffusivity at higher yttria concentrations. This work demonstrates that tuning thermodynamic and kinetic factors is a viable route to improved thermal stability in highly porous structures for use as insulation in extreme environments.",
keywords = "aerogel, porous materials, thermal stability, zirconia",
author = "Olson, {Nathaniel S.} and Hurwitz, {Frances I.} and Haiquan Guo and Madden, {Nathan J.} and Stokes, {Jamesa L.} and Rogers, {Richard B.} and Krogstad, {Jessica A.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (80NSSC18K1189). Characterization was carried out in part in the Illinois Materials Research Laboratory Central Research Facilities, University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign (UIUC). Elemental analysis was performed by the Microanalysis Laboratory in the School of Chemical Sciences, UIUC. The authors would like to thank M. Buckwalter at Aerogel Technologies, LLC, for aiding in nitrogen physisorption measurements. N.J.M acknowledges support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science under award number DE‐SC0015894. The TEM data were collected, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science by Los Alamos National Laboratory (contract 89233218CNA000001), and Sandia National Laboratories (contract DE‐NA‐0003525). The authors also acknowledge the value of K. Hattar's (Sandia National Laboratories) expertise and insight to the successful collection of these TEM observations. Funding Information: This work was supported by a NASA Space Technology Research Fellowship (80NSSC18K1189). Characterization was carried out in part in the Illinois Materials Research Laboratory Central Research Facilities, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Elemental analysis was performed by the Microanalysis Laboratory in the School of Chemical Sciences, UIUC. The authors would like to thank M. Buckwalter at Aerogel Technologies, LLC, for aiding in nitrogen physisorption measurements. N.J.M acknowledges support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science under award number DE-SC0015894. The TEM data were collected, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science by Los Alamos National Laboratory (contract 89233218CNA000001), and Sandia National Laboratories (contract DE-NA-0003525). The authors also acknowledge the value of K. Hattar's (Sandia National Laboratories) expertise and insight to the successful collection of these TEM observations. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The American Ceramic Society",
year = "2021",
month = aug,
doi = "10.1111/jace.17792",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "104",
pages = "4190--4202",
journal = "Journal of the American Chemical Society",
issn = "0002-7863",
publisher = "American Chemical Society",
number = "8",
}