Solvent-Activated Anchoring of Silica Aerogel to Enable Battings Toward Efficient Thermal Management

Integrating silica aerogels into polyester (PET) high-loft battings is an attractive strategy for thermal insulation, yet the weak aerogel-fiber interface typically causes particle aggregation and shedding. Herein, we report a facile yet robust solvent-activated interfacial engineering strategy that enables the homogeneous distribution and firm anchoring of silica aerogels on the PET batting. First, N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) serves as a mediating solvent that promotes the uniform surface distribution of silica aerogel particles on PET fibers through favorable solvent-particle interactions, thereby reducing particle agglomeration. Second, DMF activates the PET fiber surface by increasing local chain mobility, enabling intimate interfacial contact between the aerogel particles and PET fibers. Upon solvent evaporation, the activated PET surface undergoes local chain rearrangement and partial local ordering, generating microscopic surface locking sites that immobilize the particles on the fiber surface. Furthermore, nanofiber encapsulation technology was employed to establish a robust physical barrier on the batting surface for preventing the detachment of aerogel particles. The resulting battings harmonize low thermal conductivity (27.7 mW m^{- 1} K^{- 1}) with robust elasticity and exceptional wearing comfort while maintaining outstanding durability against washing and cyclic deformation. Collectively, this work presents a commercially viable paradigm for mass-producing washable aerogel textiles.