A new way for the production of biopolymer-based aerogels by carbon dioxide (CO2) induced gelation is shown. The technique utilizes pressurized carbon dioxide (5 MPa) for the production of biopolymer hydrogels and supercritical CO2 (12 MPa) to convert gels into aerogels. The only solvents needed besides CO2 are water and ethanol.
Subrahmanyam, R., Gurikov, P., Meissner, I., Smirnova, I. Preparation of Biopolymer Aerogels Using Green Solvents. J. Vis. Exp. (113), e54116, doi:10.3791/54116 (2016).