Ultrathin Aerogel Micro/Nanofiber Membranes with Hierarchical Cellular Architecture for High-Performance Warmth Retention.

Tian, Yucheng; Wang, Sai; Yang, Ming; Liu, Shude; Yu, Jianyong; Zhang, Shichao; Ding, Bin · ACS Nano · 2023

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

A low temperature environment poses significant challenges to the global economy and public health. However, the existing cold-protective materials still struggle with the trade-off between thickness and thermal resistance, resulting in poor thermal-wet comfort and limited personal cold protection performance. Here, a scalable strategy, based on electrospinning and solution casting, is developed to create aerogel micro/nanofiber membranes with a hierarchical cellular architecture by manipulating the phase separation of the charged jets and of the spreading casting solution. The integration of interconnected nanopores (30-60 nm), ultrafine fiber diameter, and high porosity, enables the aerogel micro/nanofiber membranes with lightweight, ultrathin thickness (∼0.5 mm), and superior warmth retention performance with ultralow thermal conductivity of 14.01 mW m<sup>-1</sup> K<sup>-1</sup>. And the resultant membrane with customized semiclosed walls exhibits both striking wind resistance and satisfactory thermal-wet comfort (3.4 °C warmer than the cutting-edge thermal underwear). This work will inspire the design and development of high-performance fibrous materials for thermal management applications.