Fabrication of Silica Aerogel Micro-cylinder for Inertial Confinement Fusion Target

The silica alco-gel was obtained by the 2-step acid-base catalyzed TEOS. Aging in a solution of tetraethoxylsilane and trimethylating Si-OH groups increases the strength and stiffness of the wet gel due to the hexanethyldisilazane (HMDSA) on the surface of silica matrix. The modified silica aerogels were obtained by CO₂ supercritical drying method. The bulk density of aerogels is in the range of 30-100 mg/cm³. FTIR and some other methods were used to investigate the structure and hydrophobic properties. The results show that the aerogel possesses perfect size-stability and hydrophobic properties. The aerogel micro-cylinder for inertial confinement fusion targets were manufactured by lathe machine.