| Mar 13, 2025 |
Researchers developed a new type of ceramic fiber aerogel, featuring highly anisotropic thermal conductivity and extreme thermal stability through directional bio-inspired design.
(Nanowerk News) A research group led by Prof. WANG Zhenyang and ZHANG Shudong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, developed a new type of ceramic fiber aerogels SiC@SiO₂, featuring highly anisotropic thermal conductivity and extreme thermal stability through directional bio-inspired design.
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The work was published in Advanced Science (“Highly Oriented SiC@SiO₂ Ceramic Fiber Aerogels with Good Anisotropy of the Thermal Conductivity and High-Temperature Resistance”).
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In nature, many biological structures—such as wood’ s vascular systems or the layered architecture of silkworm cocoons—demonstrate directional heat management thanks to their well-organized internal structures.
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Inspired by these natural designs, the team applied a bio-inspired fabrication strategy to create aerogels with similarly ordered architecture. They used electrospinning and freeze-drying techniques to fabricate a highly ordered structure. First, thermally stable SiC nanofibers with excellent chemical stability were synthesized as basic units, followed by the construction of an amorphous SiO₂ shell on their surfaces. This SiO₂ coating acts as a phonon barrier, enabling both intra-layered alignment and inter-layered stacking to form a highly oriented SiC@SiO₂ ceramic fiber aerogel.
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| Lightweight and compression properties of highly oriented SiC@SiO2 nanofiber aerogel. (Image: LIU Cui)
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The anisotropic aerogel demonstrates remarkable properties: Ultralow cross-plane thermal conductivity is as low as 0.018 W/m·K, and an anisotropy coefficient is as high as 5.08, which is significantly better than that of similar materials.
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In addition to thermal performance, the aerogel shows excellent mechanical resilience, with radial elastic deformation over 60% and axial specific modulus reaching 5.72 kN·m/kg
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Most impressively, it maintains structural and functional stability across an ultra-wide temperature range from -196°C to 1300°C, making it a promising candidate for applications in aerospace, energy systems, and other extreme environments where advanced thermal insulation is critical.
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This work offers a new pathway for developing ultralight, high-performance insulation materials for demanding applications, according to the team.
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