‘Rigid‐soft’ synergistic effects to improve the microstructure and superflexibility properties of aramid nanofiber aerogel

Abstract

Designing aramid nanofiber (ANF) aerogel with excellent microstructure and high thermal insulation property is benefit for applications in integrated thermal management system. To obtain a structurally controllable ANF‐based aerogel, the cellulose nanofiber (CNF) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were ‘stiff–soft’ synergistic to improve the microstructure. The cobweb like structures distributed in the honeycomb layered pores of the CNF/PVA/ANF composite aerogel which was conducive to the performance and application of composite aerogel. The resulting CNF1/PVA1/ANF composite aerogels are highly porous (99.12%) and tiny volume shrinkage (4.65%), leading to excellent thermal insulation performance (26.83 mW/m·K). The ‘stiff–soft’ feature endows the composite aerogels high flexibility as well as large compression strength. These favorable multi‐features make the CNF/PVA/ANF composite aerogels ideal advanced material for aerospace, industrial, and commercial applications.

In Situ Growth of ZIF-8 onto Aramid Nanofiber Composite Aerogel for Efficient Removal of Pollutants in Water

“…At the same time, ZIF-8 nanoparticles were assembled onto nanofibers to improve the mechanical properties and adsorption properties of the composite aerogel. The surface morphology of ZIF8-20@CPA composite aerogel is shown in Figure a3; the ZIF-8 nanoparticles grow uniformly on the lamellar structures formed by nanofibers and brought higher porosity and larger specific surface area to the composite aerogel …”

“…The surface morphology of ZIF8-20@CPA composite aerogel is shown in Figure 4a3; the ZIF-8 nanoparticles grow uniformly on the lamellar structures formed by nanofibers and brought higher porosity and larger specific surface area to the composite aerogel. 32 Figure 4b−e showed the compression and recovery test pictures of the ZIF8-20@CPA composite aerogel at room temperature, in liquid nitrogen (−196 °C), at high temperature (200 °C), and in water, respectively. It was found that the composite aerogel can be quickly restored to its original state after being immersed in liquid nitrogen and compressed.…”