Authors:

Sevinch Pasilova

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Aerogels are ultralight, highly porous materials (usually 90 to 99.8% air by volume) derived from gels where the liquid component is replaced with air. The most effective method to maximize the aerogel porosity is using supercritical drying, which involves replacing the liquid in the gel with a supercritical fluid, such as carbon dioxide. This method is commonly applied in forming silica, carbon, metal oxide, and chalcogenide aerogels. Recently, we have demonstrated the potential of supercritical drying to form potato thermoplastic starch (TPS) aerogels, resulting in a brittle structure. This work aims to enhance the mechanical properties of the TPS aerogel by introducing chitin in the TPS formulation. Chitin is a bio-based polymer extracted from crustacean exoskeletons and is known for improving mechanical strength, thermal stability, and moisture resistance in composite materials. To this end, we have built a supercritical dryer to produce our TPS aerogels derived from potato starch. We conducted experiments with varying chitin ratios in TPS aerogels alongside a sample without chitin. The aerogels' mechanical strength, thermal stability, moisture resistance, and porosity significantly improved with chitin (up to 3 wt%). Future research will focus on refining drying parameters and exploring new biopolymer sources. Keywords: Thermoplastic Starch; Aerogel; Supercritical Drying; Potato Starch; Chitin

Source:

Purdue University / 2024

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Co-authors:

Sevinch Pasilova