In this work, a straightforward method to produce aerogels from recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) drinking water bottles is presented. It consists of dissolving the rPET, followed by precipitation and subsequent gelation, after which the aerogel is obtained by freeze-drying. Three types of rPET aerogels, unreinforced and reinforced with organic or inorganic fibers, were prepared using this method. The obtained aerogels have a porosity between 80 and 86% and a bulk density between 150 and 210 kg/m³. The resulting materials have good mechanical properties, with a Young's modulus between 1.5 and 3.5 MPa, and do not release particles when handled. They also show thermal insulation capability at the level of commercial thermal insulators (∼20–65 mW m⁻¹ K⁻¹). The observed presence of macropores in the predominantly mesoporous structure can be useful for sound absorption. The developed aerogels represent a unique opportunity to value plastic waste by producing an advanced material, following the principles of circular economy.

中文翻译：

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从消费后包装废料中制备 PET 基气凝胶


在这项工作中，提出了一种从回收的聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯 （rPET） 饮用水瓶生产气凝胶的简单方法。它包括溶解 rPET，然后沉淀和随后的凝胶化，然后通过冷冻干燥获得气凝胶。使用该方法制备了三种类型的 rPET 气凝胶，未增强和有机或无机纤维增强。获得的气凝胶孔隙率在 80% 到 86% 之间，堆积密度在 150 到 210 kg/m ³ 之间。所得材料具有良好的机械性能，杨氏模量在 1.5 到 3.5 MPa 之间，并且在处理时不会释放颗粒。它们还显示出商用隔热材料水平 （∼20-65 mW m ^-1 K ^-1 ） 的隔热能力。在主要介孔结构中观察到的大孔的存在可用于吸声。开发的气凝胶代表了一个独特的机会，通过遵循循环经济原则生产先进材料来评估塑料垃圾的价值。