Preparation and characterisation of aerogel composites reinforced with electrospun nanofibre

Silica aerogels and their composites with electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofibre were successfully fabricated using tetraethylorthosilicate as precursor and dimethyl sulphoxide as solvent via sol-gel process and ambient drying. The pure aerogel showed high transmittance for visible light and low thermal conductivity (0.026 W . m(-1) . K-1) and poor strength. Tensile, compress and blending strength of aerogel composite reinforced with electrospun nanofibre were dramatically enhanced 24, 32 and 3 times compared with pure aerogel, respectively. The composite materials could keep integrity even after being greatly bended and rolled. It also exhibited excellent thermal insulation property with thermal conductivity of 0.029 W . m(-1) . K-1, slightly higher than pure aerogel. This provides a facile method to prepare monolithic aerogel composites with high mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance.