Rotation Lifting and Spinning for Durable Ceramic Aerogel Fiber

Aerogel fibers have attracted significant interest due to their low thermal conductivity and notable flexibility. This flexibility enables them to be bent, tied, and woven into fabrics, thereby broadening their applications. However, current aerogel fibers suffer from limited environmental stability and a complex manufacturing process. Herein, a novel rotation lifting and spinning method is proposed to fabricate continuous and flexible ceramic aerogel fibers using ceramic nanowires and ethanol as the starting materials. The synthesized Si₃N₄ aerogel fiber (SNAF), composed of Si₃N₄ nanowires, achieves a high porosity of 98.5% and notable tensile strength reaching 3.5 MPa. Moreover, the fiber exhibits high thermal insulation capabilities, fire resistance, and remarkable high-temperature stability, which maintains its high strength and flexibility over a wide temperature range from −196 to 1000 °C. This study makes progress in the synthesis of ceramic aerogel fibers and broadens their applications in various high-temperature scenarios.