Aerogels are currently known as ultra-light porous materials with very low density, which enables many potential applications, from ultra-light insulation to new energy materials. Currently, the limitations of expensive synthesis methods and fragile structure support are seriously hampering their application; these are the most prominent problems for aerogel materials. To boost the structural tunability of the aerogel pore structure, we adopted methyltrimethoxy silane (MTMS) as a precursor and used a highly mature and homogeneous filling to synthesize a high strength silica aerogel with multiple network construction. This new method, phrased as “neck-strengthening effect induced by high polycondensation reaction”, avoided the processes of organic solvent replacement and the intervention of highly polluting modifiers. This synthesis strategy greatly simplifies the fabrication process of silica aerogels. Also, it is worth mentioning that the prepared silica aerogels have high compressive strength up to 14.42 MPa and bulk density of 0.32 g cm⁻³, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of pure aerogels, and one order of magnitude higher than that of all kinds of composite aerogels. This work solves two major limiting factors in the utilization of aerogel materials, and presents a new design principle for high strength aerogels. It also offers a potential basal material for future multifunctional aerogel design.

中文翻译：

---

一锅快速合成超高强度疏水性本体二氧化硅气凝胶

气凝胶目前被称为具有极低密度的超轻多孔材料，这使得从超轻绝缘到新能源材料的许多潜在应用成为可能。当前，昂贵的合成方法和脆弱的结构支持的局限性严重阻碍了它们的应用。这些是气凝胶材料最突出的问题。为了提高气凝胶孔结构的结构可调性，我们采用甲基三甲氧基硅烷（MTMS）作为前体，并使用高度成熟且均匀的填充物来合成具有多个网络结构的高强度二氧化硅气凝胶。这种新方法被称为“高缩聚反应引起的颈增强效应”，避免了有机溶剂置换过程和高污染改性剂的干预。这种合成策略大大简化了二氧化硅气凝胶的制造过程。另外，值得一提的是，制得的二氧化硅气凝胶具有高达14.42 MPa的高抗压强度和0.32 g cm的堆积密度^-3，比纯气凝胶高两个数量级，比所有复合气凝胶高一个数量级。这项工作解决了气凝胶材料利用中的两个主要限制因素，并提出了高强度气凝胶的新设计原理。它还为将来的多功能气凝胶设计提供了潜在的基础材料。