Aerogels are highly porous nanostructures with very low density and have
various applications. This research study aims to synthesize carbon aerogels using a sol
gel poly-condensation reaction. The primary precursors were resorcinol with
formaldehyde in a molar ratio of 1:2 using base catalyst sodium carbonate to produce
carbon aerogels. The density obtained for synthesized Resorcinol Formaldehyde (RF)
aerogels was 40-50kg/m3
. The carbonization of resorcinol formaldehyde aerogels was
carried out using pyrolysis under 800oC with a heating rate of 10oC/min under vacuum
conditions after the carbonization porosity of the aerogel was increased. The surface
morphology was characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy
(FESEM), and elemental analysis was carried out using X-Ray Photoelectron
Spectroscopy (XPS). From the final results, it was observed that the carbonization of
the resorcinol formaldehyde aerogels by pyrolysis increased the porosity of the carbon
aerogels. Thus, it could be predicted that these carbon aerogels can serve as a
promising applicant for future water treatment.
Keywords: Aerogel, Density, FESEM, Insert, Molor Ratio, Pyrolysis, Resorcinol Formaldehyde, Super Critical Drying, Water Treatment, XPS.
