Effects of several additives on silica aerogel properties and adsorption performance for n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and toluene

In this work, hydrophobic and monolithic silica aerogels were prepared at ambient pressure by using β-cyclodextrin, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and ethylene glycol as additive. The aerogels were characterized and used for adsorption of n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and toluene. These additives have different effects on the morphology and specific surface area of silica aerogels. Compared to cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and ethylene glycol, introducing β-cyclodextrin into silica aerogel could increase adsorption capacity for of n-hexane, carbon tetrachloride and toluene more effectively.