Ultralight Biomass Aerogels with Multifunctionality and Superelasticity Under Extreme Conditions

Abstract

Biomass aerogels are highly attractive candidates in various applications due to their intrinsic merits of high strength, high porosity, biodegradability, and renewability. However, under low-temperature harsh conditions, biomass aerogels suffer from weakened mechanical properties, become extremely brittle, and lose functionality. Herein, we report a multifunctional biomass aerogel with lamella nanostructures (～1 μm) fabricated from cellulose nanofibers (～200 nm) and gelatin, showing outstanding elasticity from room temperature to ultralow temperatures (repeatedly bent, twisted, or compressed in liquid nitrogen). The resultant aerogel exhibits excellent organic solvent absorption, thermal infrared stealth, and thermal insulation performance in both normal and extreme environments. Even at dry ice temperature (?78 °C), the aerogel can selectively and repeatedly absorb organic solvents in the same way as room temperature with high capacities (90–177 g/g). Excellent heat insulation and infrared stealth performances are achieved in a wide temperature range of ?196 to 80 °C. Further, this aerogel combines with the advantages of ultralow density (～6 mg/cm³), biodegradability, flame retardancy, and performance stability, making it a perfect candidate for multifunctional applications under harsh conditions. This work greatly broadens application temperature windows of biomass aerogels and sheds light on the development of mechanically robust biomass aerogels for various applications under extreme conditions.