Comparative Analysis of Superhydrophobic Elastic Polymethylsilsesquioxane Aerogels Prepared at Atmospheric Pressure and under Supercritical Conditions

—The influence of the conditions of drying elastic polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels (at atmospheric pressure, during supercritical drying in CO 2 or methanol) on their structure (including porosity and specific surface area), hydrophobicity, and mechanical compressive properties is investigated. The structure and physicomechanical properties of the aerogels prepared under different conditions are found to differ insignificantly, which demonstrates the possibility of producing elastic highly porous superhydrophobic materials without the use of expensive equipment for supercritical drying. The polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels synthesized by supercritical drying in methanol have the best mechanical characteristics under compression (ultimate strength, relative deformation).