Tough and Recyclable Poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) Aerogel Fibers

Aerogel fibers with different functionalities can now be fabricated from different sources. However, it is still a great challenge to make tough and recyclable aerogel fibers via a simple approach. In this study, poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) containing biphenyl moieties (PPBESK) aerogel fibers were fabricated via a direct method: wet spinning and ambient pressure drying. The fabricated aerogel fibers not only have a superb toughness of 24.3 MJ/m³ but also exhibit an excellent recyclability that presents an opportunity to establish a sustainable circular economy. In addition, the universality of the fabrication method is validated by preparing another three types of aerogel fibers: PPBES, PPESK, and PPESS, which have a similar molecular structure to PPBESK. And last but not least, the aerogel fibers have a good thermal insulation performance at high temperatures. Overall, this study offers a promising strategy for developing tough and recyclable aerogel fibers.