Transparent Aerogels with High Mechanical Strength Composed of Cellulose-silica Cross-linked networks

We prepared monolithic transparent composite aerogels with high mechanical strength composed of cellulose-silica interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structures. Cellulose-silica areogels were obtained by dissolving cellulose in silica hydrogels, followed by gelling, aging and drying using supercritical drying. The composite nanonetworks of cellulose-silica areogels were demonstrated with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The density of cellulose-silica aerogels is between 20 and 38 kg/m(3). The surface area of aerogels was between 300 m(2)/g to 500 m(2)/g.