Facile preparation of high strength aerogel based on polysulfonamide

A facile and rapid method was developed for preparing aerogel from polysulfonamide (PSA) via sol-gel process. Through hydrogen bond fracture and regeneration between PSA molecules in the solvents of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF), a three-dimensional network structure of PSA aerogel is formed. The obtained PSA aerogel shows high compression strength of 3.25 MPa, and also exhibits the density of 0.06 g/cm 3 and the porosity of 88%, respectively. Moreover, the water contact angle of the PSA aerogel surface is 95°, which suggests good water resistance and dimensional stability for application in oil and water separation, filtration and other fields.