Two-in-One Copolymerized Precursor Derived Thermal Stable Hybrid Aerogel for Insulation and UV-Shielding

Hybridization by multi-components in an aerogel is an efficient way to make nanoporous aerogel robust, high-temperature stable and multifunctional. While in the formation of aerogel network by a liquid-solid phase separation, solid-solid phase separation between the multi-component is likely to be triggered by enthalpy penalty, which would undermine the synergistically effects. Here, this work presents a copolymerized precursor that simultaneously incorporates two metals in one precursor, to efficiently suppress the potential solid-solid phase separation between the distinct components during sol-gel reaction. The two metals form atomic-level cross-links in the precursor, which are inherited into the aerogel. The difference in hydrolysis reaction rates during the sol-gel phase slows down the gelation time and inhibits phase separation. As a proof-of-concept, polyacetylacetone yttrium-zirconium (PAYZ) derived Y₂O₃ stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) aerogel demonstrates a homogeneous chemical structure than those synthesized by metal-salt precursor; additionally, the YSZ aerogel can retain nanopores up to 1300 °C S_BET of 17 cm²·g⁻¹ after assessment and low bulk shrinkage, outperforming the metal-salts derived YSZ aerogels reported so far. The aerogel of only 1 mm thick can insulate a heating source temperature of 860 °C to about 407 °C, indicating a remarkable thermal insulation performance. Owing to the uniform incorporation of Y in ZrO₂ lattices, the YSZ aerogel shows excellent ultraviolet (UV) shielding performances. The copolymerized precursor derived hybrid aerogel synthesis provides potential strategy to explore new hybrid aerogels, which have better performance and wider applications.