Abstract
A simple, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly process for converting mixtures of clays and polymers has been developed. Polymer and clay are combined in water, and the mixtures are freeze dried to produce materials which have bulk densities typically in the range of 0.03 – 0.15 g/cm3. These low density polymer/clay aerogel materials possess good mechanical properties similar to those of traditional polymer foams, can be reinforced with fibers, modified with nanoparticles, biomineralized, or converted into porous ceramics.