Huawei Zhuo, Qin Li, Xueli Mei, Yaoyao Chen, Yu Liu, Hongtao Xie, Yizhao Li, Fan Dong, Lizong Dai
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Leaf-Inspired Biomimetic Aerogels for Thermal Insulation in Extreme Environments
Aerogels hold promise for thermal protection in extreme environments and energy conservation in the building field. However, it is a great challenge to develop aerogels that possess lightweight, flame-retardant, and thermal insulation properties. Herein, inspired by the natural leaf structure, are successfully synthesized silica/chitosan/zirconia fiber composite aerogels (SCZs). The obtained SCZs feature a biomimetic design that mimics the epidermis, mesophyll, and veins of leaves. The bionic structure endows SCZs with low density, mechanical robustness, high-temperature dimensional stability, and low thermal conductivity. These properties are achieved by effectively impeding heat transfer and preventing structural collapse under localized stress. Moreover, the synergistic interactions among the components give the aerogels additional properties, including flame retardancy, radiative cooling, hydrophobicity, and so forth. This study not only presents versatile aerogels with thermal insulation and flame-retardant properties under extreme environments, but also proposes a simple, sustainable, and low-cost strategy for the preparation of biomimetic aerogels. The advancements provide a solid foundation for applications in thermal protection and energy saving.
期刊介绍:
Small serves as an exceptional platform for both experimental and theoretical studies in fundamental and applied interdisciplinary research at the nano- and microscale. The journal offers a compelling mix of peer-reviewed Research Articles, Reviews, Perspectives, and Comments.
With a remarkable 2022 Journal Impact Factor of 13.3 (Journal Citation Reports from Clarivate Analytics, 2023), Small remains among the top multidisciplinary journals, covering a wide range of topics at the interface of materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, medicine, and biology.
Small's readership includes biochemists, biologists, biomedical scientists, chemists, engineers, information technologists, materials scientists, physicists, and theoreticians alike.