Process for preparing waterglass-based silica aerogels and products thereos

The present invention relates to a process for preparing waterglass-based silica aerogels, wherein the process comprises (a) subjecting a certain amount of a vinyltrialcoxysilane to hydrolysis in the presence of water and an inorganic acid under stirring conditions to produce a hydrolyzed vinyltrialcoxysilane solution; (b) treating a waterglass solution with an acidic cationic-exchange resin to produce a silicic acid solution; (c) forming a sol phase by contacting the hydrolyzed vinylalcoxysilane solution with the silicic acid solution; (d) forming a gel phase by adjusting the pH of the sol phase to a value in the range of from 4 to 6; and (e) subjecting the gel phase to supercritical drying to produce an aerogel. The present invention is also related to waterglass-based silica aerogels obtained by the process according to the invention, which are functionalized with vinyl groups.