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Colorless and Transparent Polyimide Aerogels via Molecular Engineering toward Energy-Efficient Windows.

Tiantian Xue^1,2, Jing Tian², Yan Liu^1,3

¹Shanghai Key Laboratory of Engineering Materials Application and Evaluation, Shanghai , 200437, China.

Polymer Science & Technology (Washington, D.C.)

|June 8, 2026

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Researchers developed a colorless, transparent polyimide (PI) aerogel for energy-efficient windows. Molecular engineering with p-PDA improved optical and thermal properties, overcoming previous limitations in transparent thermal insulation materials.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Polymer Chemistry

Background:

Energy loss through windows drives demand for transparent thermal-insulating materials.
Polyimide (PI) aerogels offer potential but face challenges in balancing transparency, color, and thermomechanical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a colorless and transparent polyimide aerogel with enhanced thermal insulation and optical properties.
To address the limitations of existing transparent insulating materials through molecular engineering.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of polyimide aerogels via copolymerization of 6FDA, ODA, and p-PDA, cross-linked with TAB.
Utilized supercritical drying for material processing.
Investigated the effect of p-PDA on molecular rigidity and nanoporous structure.

Keywords:

colorless energy-efficient window molecular engineering polyimide thermal insulation transparent aerogel

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Main Results:

Optimized aerogel (PI-2) exhibited colorlessness and high optical transmittance (57.1% at 800 nm).
PI-2 demonstrated reduced light scattering and suppressed heat transfer due to enhanced chain rigidity and optimized nanoporous structure (19.1 nm peak pore size).
Achieved superior thermal and mechanical performance compared to control samples.

Conclusions:

Molecular engineering of the polyimide network, specifically the introduction of p-PDA, is an effective strategy for developing colorless, transparent PI aerogels.
The developed PI aerogel shows promise for energy-efficient windows and optoelectronic devices.