Super-insulated, flexible, and high resilient mullite fiber reinforced silica aerogel composites by interfacial modification with nanoscale mullite whisker

Fiber-reinforced aerogel composites are extensively used in thermal insulation and energy-saving fields, while the inherently weak interface combination between fiber and aerogel undermines the effect of fiber reinforcement. To deal with this problem, mullite whiskers were in-situ synthesized on the surface of alumina silicate fiber through a facile and environmentally benign method. The nanoscale mullite whiskers growing on the fiber strengthen the interfacial bonding, thereby improving the mechanical properties of the composite. The alumina silicate fiber/mullite whisker/silica aerogel composites delivered ultrahigh compression stress and modulus of 6.45 MPa and 69.74 MPa at 50% strain, which is 6.14 times and 9.07 times higher than those of bare fiber reinforced silica aerogel. Meanwhile, the composite maintained a high retention rate of maximum stress of 97.8% after being compressed at 30% strain for 200 cycles. Moreover, the composite exhibits an ultralow thermal conductivity of 27.5 mW m-1 K-1 and a low density of 0.26 g cm-3. The strong, resilient, lightweight composite with ultralow thermal conductivity is applicable for heat preservation and energy saving.

Automated summary

By in-situ synthesizing mullite whiskers on the surface of alumina silicate fiber, the interfacial bonding between fiber and aerogel was strengthened, improving the mechanical properties and compression stress of the composite material. The composite material features high compression stress and modulus, high retention rate, and ultralow thermal conductivity, making it suitable for thermal insulation and energy-saving applications.