Topological Polymer Networks-Enabled Mechanically Strong Polyamide-Imide Aerogel Fibers for Thermal Insulation in...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Aerogel fibers are promising for thermal insulation due to their porous structure.
• Developing aerogel fibers with desired properties like knittability and temperature resistance is challenging.
• Efficient and green methods for producing high-performance aerogel fibers are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop mechanically strong and flexible aerogel fibers with excellent thermal insulation.
• To create aerogel fibers using a novel combination of polymers and a one-step wet-spinning process.
• To investigate the thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting aerogel fibers.

Main Methods:

• Constructing stiff-soft topological polymer networks using polyamide-imide (PAI) and polyurethane (PU).
• Creating multilevel hollow porous structures via a one-step, green wet-spinning process.
• Characterizing the mechanical strength, elasticity, thermal conductivity, and temperature resistance of the PAI/PU aerogel fibers.

Main Results:

• Achieved mechanically strong (94.5 MPa breaking strength) and superelastic (20% breaking strain) aerogel fibers.
• Developed PAI/PU@340 aerogel fibers with ultra-low thermal conductivity (25 mW/(m·K)).
• Demonstrated excellent thermal insulation at high (300 °C) and low (-191 °C) temperatures.

Conclusions:

• The developed PAI/PU aerogel fibers exhibit remarkable thermal insulation and mechanical properties.
• The combination of topological polymer networks and hollow pores is key to their performance.
• These aerogel fibers are promising candidates for next-generation thermal insulation applications.