Textural properties of densified aerogels

Base catalysed silica aerogels have been densified using both an isostatic pressure and a thermal treatment. The density range investigated corresponds to 0.186-0.65. Textural properties such as the specific surface area and the pore size distribution are analysed as a function of the sample's bulk density, using the N-2 adsorption-desorption technique. A comparison between specific surface areas obtained previously by small angle X-ray scattering is done. Experiments show that the isostatic pressure leads to materials having a narrow pore size distribution while the specific surface area remains unchanged.