Aerogel
Aerogel is a dried product of wet gel being a condensate of sol containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a polysiloxane compound having a hydrolyzable functional group or a condensable functional group and having an average molecular weight of 300 to 1500 g/mol, and a hydrolysis product of the polysiloxane compound having a hydrolyzable functional group.
1. Aerogel being a dried product of wet gel being a condensate of sol containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a polysiloxane compound having a hydrolyzable functional group or a condensable functional group and having an average molecular weight of 300 to 1500 g/mol, and a hydrolysis product of the polysiloxane compound having a hydrolyzable functional group, wherein the aerogel has a ladder-type structure having struts and bridges, wherein the bridges are represented by the following formula (2):
wherein R 5 and R 6 each independently represent an alkyl group or an aryl group, and b represents an integer of 3 to 15.
2. The aerogel according to claim 1 , wherein the aerogel has a ladder-type structure represented by the following formula (3):
wherein R 5 , R 6 , R 7 and R 8 each independently represent an alkyl group or an aryl group, a and c each independently represent an integer of 1 to 3000, and b represents an integer of 3 to 15.
3. The aerogel according to claim 1 wherein the hydrolyzable functional group is an alkoxy group.
4. The aerogel according to claim 3 , wherein the number of carbon atoms of the alkoxy group is 1 to 6.
5. The aerogel according to claim 3 , wherein the polysiloxane compound is a polysiloxane compound represented by the following formula (B):
wherein R 1b represents an alkyl group, an alkoxy group or an aryl group, R 2b and R 3b each independently represent an alkoxy group, R 4b and R 5b each independently represent an alkyl group or an aryl group, and m represents an integer of 3 to 15.
6. The aerogel according to claim 1 , wherein the sol further contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a silicon compound having a hydrolyzable functional group or a condensable functional group, and a hydrolysis product of the silicon compound having a hydrolyzable functional group.
7. The aerogel according to claim 1 , wherein the dried product is obtained by drying performed at a temperature lower than a critical point of a solvent used in the drying of the wet gel, and under atmospheric pressure.