Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride/polyimide nanofiber composite aerogels for thermal insulation under extremely humid and hot environment

极端湿热环境下隔热的超疏水聚偏氟乙烯/聚酰 亚胺纳米纤维复合气凝胶

  • Articles
  • Published:
Science China Materials Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Excellent thermal insulating materials are highly demanded in various applications including buildings, aerospace and sport equipment. However, in practical applications, the performance of thermal insulating materials usually deteriorates under diverse temperature and humidity conditions. Therefore, it is highly essential to construct a bulk material that exhibits outstanding thermal insulation performance under extremely humid and hot environment. In this work, we have conceived a green and effective strategy to fabricate a superhydrophobic and compressible polyvinylidene fluoride/polyimide (PVDF/PI) nanofiber composite aerogel via electrospinning and freeze-drying technique. Interestingly, the PVDF nanofibers and PI nanofibers function as the hydrophobic fibrous framework and mechanical support skeleton, respectively, forming a robust three-dimensional framework with good mechanical flexibility. The PVDF/PI aerogel possesses outstanding superhydrophobic feature (water contact angle of 152°) and low thermal conductivity (31.0 mW m−1 K−1) at room temperature. Significantly, even at 100% relative humidity (80°C), the PVDF/PI aerogel still exhibits a low thermal conductivity of only 48.6 mW m−1 K−1, which outperforms the majority of commercial thermal insulating materials. Therefore, the novel PVDF/PI aerogel is promising as an excellent thermal insulating material for the applications in high temperature and humid environment.

摘要

优异的隔热材料在建筑、航空航天和体育设备等领域有着 广泛的应用需求. 然而, 在实际应用中, 隔热材料在不同温度和湿度 条件下, 其性能往往会恶化. 因此, 构建在极端湿热环境下仍具有出 色的隔热性能的块状材料是非常重要的. 在本工作中, 我们构思了 一种绿色制备策略, 即通过静电纺丝和冷冻干燥技术来制备超疏 水且可压缩的聚偏氟乙烯/聚酰亚胺(PVDF/PI)纳米纤维复合气凝 胶. PVDF纳米纤维和PI纳米纤维分别充当疏水性纤维骨架和机械 支撑骨架, 形成具有良好机械柔韧性的坚固的三维框架. PVDF/PI 气凝胶在室温下具有出色的超疏水特性(水接触角为152°)和低导 热性(31.0 mW m−1 K−1). 同时, 在100%湿度(80°C)下, PVDF/PI气凝 胶仅显示出48.6 mW m−1 K−1 的低热导率, 其性能优于大多数商业 绝热材料. 因此, 新型的PVDF/PI复合气凝胶有望成为高温和高湿 环境中应用的优良隔热材料.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Chu S, Majumdar A. Opportunities and challenges for a sustainable energy future. Nature, 2012, 488: 294–303

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Schmidt DG. Research opportunities for future energy technologies. ACS Energy Lett, 2016, 1: 244–245

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Xu X, Zhang Q, Hao M, et al. Double-negative-index ceramic aerogels for thermal superinsulation. Science, 2019, 363: 723–727

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hu F, Wu S, Sun Y. Hollow-structured materials for thermal insulation. Adv Mater, 2019, 31: 1801001

    Google Scholar 

  5. Zhang L, Deng H, Fu Q. Recent progress on thermal conductive and electrical insulating polymer composites. Compos Commun, 2018, 8: 74–82

    Google Scholar 

  6. Li Y, Liu X, Nie X, et al. Multifunctional organic-inorganic hybrid aerogel for self-cleaning, hea-insulating, and highly efficient microwave absorbing material. Adv Funct Mater, 2019, 29: 1807624

    Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang J, Cheng Y, Tebyetekerwa M, et al. “Stiff-soft” binary synergistic aerogels with superflexibility and high thermal insulation performance. Adv Funct Mater, 2019, 29: 1806407

    Google Scholar 

  8. Ibrahim M, Wurtz E, Biwole PH, et al. Hygrothermal performance of exterior walls covered with aerogel-based insulating rendering. Energy Buildings, 2014, 84: 241–251

    Google Scholar 

  9. Kim NK, Kim K, Payne DA, et al. Fabrication of hollow silica aerogel spheres by a droplet generation method and sol-gel processing. J Vacuum Sci Tech A-Vacuum Surfs Films, 1989, 7: 1181–1184

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Si Y, Wang X, Dou L, et al. Ultralight and fire-resistant ceramic nanofibrous aerogels with temperature-invariant superelasticity. Sci Adv, 2018, 4: eaas8925

    Google Scholar 

  11. Zu G, Kanamori K, Wang X, et al. Superelastic triple-network polyorganosiloxane-based aerogels as transparent thermal superinsulators and efficient separators. Chem Mater, 2020, 32: 1595–1604

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Zhang X, Zhao X, Xue T, et al. Bidirectional anisotropic polyimide/bacterial cellulose aerogels by freeze-drying for super-thermal insulation. Chem Eng J, 2020, 385: 123963

    Google Scholar 

  13. Guo H, Feng Q, Xu K, et al. Self-templated conversion of metallogel into heterostructured TMP@carbon quasiaerogels boosting bifunctional electrocatalysis. Adv Funct Mater, 2019, 29: 1903660

    Google Scholar 

  14. Guo H, Zhou J, Li Q, et al. Emerging dual-channel transition-metal-oxide quasiaerogels by self-embedded templating. Adv Funct Mater, 2020, 30: 2000024

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Fu Y, Wang G, Mei T, et al. Accessible graphene aerogel for efficiently harvesting solar energy. ACS Sustain Chem Eng, 2017, 5: 4665–4671

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Hu H, Zhao Z, Wan W, et al. Ultralight and highly compressible graphene aerogels. Adv Mater, 2013, 25: 2219–2223

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Chen B, Bi H, Ma Q, et al. Preparation of graphene-MoS2 hybrid aerogels as multifunctional sorbents for water remediation. Sci China Mater, 2017, 60: 1102–1108

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Wong JCH, Kaymak H, Brunner S, et al. Mechanical properties of monolithic silica aerogels made from polyethoxydisiloxanes. Microporous Mesoporous Mater, 2014, 183: 23–29

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Sun X, Wei Y, Li J, et al. Ultralight conducting PEDOT:PSS/carbon nanotube aerogels doped with silver for thermoelectric materials. Sci China Mater, 2017, 60: 159–166

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Mu P, Zhang Z, Bai W, et al. Superwetting monolithic hollow-carbon-nanotubes aerogels with hierarchically nanoporous structure for efficient solar steam generation. Adv Energy Mater, 2019, 9: 1802158

    Google Scholar 

  21. Baskakov SA, Baskakova YV, Kabachkov EN, et al. Novel superhydrophobic aerogel on the base of polytetrafluoroethylene. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2019, 11: 32517–32522

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Diascorn N, Calas S, Sallée H, et al. Polyurethane aerogels synthesis for thermal insulation—textural, thermal and mechanical properties. J Supercritical Fluids, 2015, 106: 76–84

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Du A, Wang H, Zhou B, et al. Multifunctional silica nanotube aerogels inspired by polar bear hair for light management and thermal insulation. Chem Mater, 2018, 30: 6849–6857

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cahn RW. Strategies to defeat brittleness. Nature, 1988, 332: 112–113

    Google Scholar 

  25. Si Y, Yu J, Tang X, et al. Ultralight nanofibre-assembled cellular aerogels with superelasticity and multifunctionality. Nat Commun, 2014, 5: 5802

    Google Scholar 

  26. Liu Z, Lyu J, Fang D, et al. Nanofibrous Kevlar aerogel threads for thermal insulation in harsh environments. ACS Nano, 2019, 13: 5703–5711

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Qian Z, Yang M, Li R, et al. Fire-resistant, ultralight, superelastic and thermally insulated polybenzazole aerogels. J Mater Chem A, 2018, 6: 20769–20777

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Cranford SW, Tarakanova A, Pugno NM, et al. Nonlinear material behaviour of spider silk yields robust webs. Nature, 2012, 482: 72–76

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ding Y, Hou H, Zhao Y, et al. Electrospun polyimide nanofibers and their applications. Prog Polym Sci, 2016, 61: 67–103

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Xue J, Wu T, Dai Y, et al. Electrospinning and electrospun nanofibers: methods, materials, and applications. Chem Rev, 2019, 119: 5298–5415

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Tian J, Shi Y, Fan W, et al. Ditungsten carbide nanoparticles embedded in electrospun carbon nanofiber membranes as flexible and high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. Compos Commun, 2019, 12: 21–25

    Google Scholar 

  32. Zhu J, Lv S, Yang T, et al. Facile and green strategy for designing ultralight, flexible, and multifunctional PVA nanofiber-based aerogels. Adv Sustain Syst, 2020, 4: 1900141

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Li Y, Cao L, Yin X, et al. Semi-interpenetrating polymer network biomimetic structure enables superelastic and thermostable nanofibrous aerogels for cascade filtration of PM2.5. Adv Funct Mater, 2020, 30: 1910426

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Qian Z, Wang Z, Chen Y, et al. Superelastic and ultralight polyimide aerogels as thermal insulators and particulate air filters. J Mater Chem A, 2018, 6: 828–832

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Jiang S, Uch B, Agarwal S, et al. Ultralight, thermally insulating, compressible polyimide fiber assembled sponges. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2017, 9: 32308–32315

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Fan W, Zhang X, Zhang Y, et al. Lightweight, strong, and superthermal insulating polyimide composite aerogels under high temperature. Compos Sci Tech, 2019, 173: 47–52

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Li X, Yu X, Cheng C, et al. Electrospun superhydrophobic organic/inorganic composite nanofibrous membranes for membrane distillation. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2015, 7: 21919–21930

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. de Oliveira PB, Godinho M, Zattera AJ. Oils sorption on hydrophobic nanocellulose aerogel obtained from the wood furniture industry waste. Cellulose, 2018, 25: 3105–3119

    Google Scholar 

  39. Zhao Y, Li Y, Zhang R. Silica aerogels having high flexibility and hydrophobicity prepared by sol-gel method. Ceramics Int, 2018, 44: 21262–21268

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Zhu J, Hu J, Jiang C, et al. Ultralight, hydrophobic, monolithic konjac glucomannan-silica composite aerogel with thermal insulation and mechanical properties. Carbohydrate Polyms, 2019, 207: 246–255

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Madyan OA, Fan M. Hydrophobic clay aerogel composites through the implantation of environmentally friendly water-repellent agents. Macromolecules, 2018, 51: 10113–10120

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Zhang X, Wang H, Cai Z, et al. Highly compressible and hydrophobic anisotropic aerogels for selective oil/organic solvent absorption. ACS Sustain Chem Eng, 2018, 7: 332–340

    Google Scholar 

  43. Zhang YG, Zhu YJ, Xiong ZC, et al. Bioinspired ultralight inorganic aerogel for highly efficient air filtration and oil-water separation. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2018, 10: 13019–13027

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Shaik S, Talanki Puttaranga Setty AB. Influence of ambient air relative humidity and temperature on thermal properties and unsteady thermal response characteristics of laterite wall houses. Building Environ, 2016, 99: 170–183

    Google Scholar 

  45. Nosrati RH, Berardi U. Hygrothermal characteristics of aerogelenhanced insulating materials under different humidity and temperature conditions. Energy Buildings, 2018, 158: 698–711

    Google Scholar 

  46. Nguyen LH, Beaucour AL, Ortola S, et al. Experimental study on the thermal properties of lightweight aggregate concretes at different moisture contents and ambient temperatures. Construction Building Mater, 2017, 151: 720–731

    Google Scholar 

  47. Alvey JB, Patel J, Stephenson LD. Experimental study on the effects of humidity and temperature on aerogel composite and foam insulations. Energy Buildings, 2017, 144: 358–371

    Google Scholar 

  48. Siwińska A, Garbalińska H. Thermal conductivity coefficient of cement-based mortars as air relative humidity function. Heat Mass Transfer, 2011, 47: 1077–1087

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21674019 and 21704014), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2232019A3-03), the Graduate Student Innovation Fund of Donghua University (CUSF-DH-D-2019006), Shanghai Sailing Program (17YF1400200), Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (17CG33), and the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (6141A0202202).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China

    Fan Yang  (杨帆), Xingyu Zhao  (赵兴宇), Tiantian Xue  (薛甜甜), Shijia Yuan  (元诗佳), Wei Fan  (樊玮) & Tianxi Liu  (刘天西)

  2. Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Yunpeng Huang  (黄云鹏) & Tianxi Liu  (刘天西)

Authors
  1. Fan Yang  (杨帆)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xingyu Zhao  (赵兴宇)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tiantian Xue  (薛甜甜)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shijia Yuan  (元诗佳)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yunpeng Huang  (黄云鹏)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Wei Fan  (樊玮)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Tianxi Liu  (刘天西)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Yang F contributed to the methodology and investigation, and wrote the paper. Zhao X guided the mechanical measurements and contributed to the theoretical analysis. Xue T guided the FT-IR and DSC measurements. Xue T and Yuan S participated in the discussion. Huang Y contributed to the schematic diagrams part. Fan W contributed to the conceptualization, supervision and editing. Liu T contributed to the supervision and editing.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Wei Fan  (樊玮) or Tianxi Liu  (刘天西).

Additional information

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Supplementary information

Experimental details and supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Fan Yang is a master student of the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University. She joined Prof. Tianxi Liu's group in 2018 and her research interest is focused on the preparation and properties of nanofiber aerogel materials.

Wei Fan is an associate professor of the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University. She received her PhD degree in macromolecular chemistry and physics from Fudan University in 2015. Her research interests include functional aerogel composites, polymer nanocomposites and electrochemical energy storage materials.

Tianxi Liu is a professor of the College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University. He received his PhD degree from Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1998. His research interests include polymer nanocomposites, new energy materials and devices, hybrid materials, nanofibers and their composite materials.

Supplementary information

40843_2020_1518_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride/polyimide nanofiber composite aerogels for thermal insulation under extremely humid and hot environment

Supplementary material, approximately 3.90 MB.

Supplementary material, approximately 4.00 MB.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, F., Zhao, X., Xue, T. et al. Superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride/polyimide nanofiber composite aerogels for thermal insulation under extremely humid and hot environment. Sci. China Mater. 64, 1267–1277 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-020-1518-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-020-1518-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation