Helix for Aerogel Drying

The Helix is engineered to readily meet the requirements needed to dry aerogels by the three widely used methods:

1. High temperature conversion of a liquid organic solvent to the supercritical state with subsequent venting
2. Liquid CO₂ displacement of an organic solvent with subsequent supercritical CO₂ venting
3. Supercritical CO₂ extraction of an organic solvent at low temperatures

A Helix configured for aerogel drying consists of:

• CO₂ pump module
• Base unit - for the aerogel drying module
• A second base unit - for separation
• 2 vessels - size determined by individual requirements

• Applied Separations Ships Aerogel System to NASA
  The system introduces supercritical CO₂ to dissolve reactant solvents to cause the drying process to proceed without collapsing the network.



• Mechanically Strong, Lightweight Porous Materials Developed (X-Aerogels) by NASA
  Researchers at the NASA Glenn Research Center have developed a new class of strong lightweight materials, named X-Aerogels. These materials are produced by reacting the internal (mesoporous) surfaces of porous networks of inorganic nanoparticles with polymeric crosslinking agents.

Applications
We have compiled a comprehensive list of SCF applications available for free. Click here to view the list of the SCF applications you can put to use immediately in your lab.