Roll‐To‐Roll Twisted Aerogel Yarns with Reinforced Structure and Low Thermal Conductivity
Junjie Zheng, Zhen Li, Ning Wei, Mengyue Gao, Tianxiang Bai, Junyan Zhang, Xinhai Zhang, Meifang Zhu, Yanhua Cheng
Abstract
Aerogels have been considered as super thermal insulators. However, they often exhibit less satisfactory mechanical properties for textile application due to their fragility and poor processability. These problems are overcome through a twisting-induced fibrillation method, using 2D nanofiber membranes as mediators, to process aerogel particles into continuous macroscopic yarns based on a roll-to-roll format. A low concentration of strong nanofiber host in twisted form provides structural support to the aerogel particles and preserves their porous architecture. Despite the high-volume ratio (≈78%) of aerogel particles, the aerogel yarns show high strength, ideal flexibility, and impressive thermal insulation properties. Textiles woven with the aerogel yarns are warmer than cashmere. The aerogel textile is extremely stable under temperatures of -196 and 100 °C, mechanical deformation, and even washing. This technology provides a flexible platform to extend the function (e.g., dyeability, hydrophobicity, and Joule heating) of aerogel yarns and textiles to suit various use scenarios.