Polyimide aerogels for low density thermal insulation materials were produced by 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether and 3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, cross-linked with 1,3,5-triaminophenoxybenzene. The densities of obtained polyimide aerogels are between 0.081 and 0.141 g cm(-3), and the specific surface areas are between 288 and 322 m(2) g(-1). The thermal conductivities were measured by a Hot Disk thermal constant analyzer. The value of the measured thermal conductivity under carbon dioxide atmosphere is lower than that under nitrogen atmosphere. Under pressure of 5 Pa at -130 °C, the thermal conductivity is the lowest, which is 8.42 mW (m K)(-1). The polyimide aerogels have lower conductivity [30.80 mW (m K)(-1)], compared to the value for other organic foams (polyurethane foam, phenolic foam, and polystyrene foam) with similar apparent densities under ambient pressure at 25 °C. The results indicate that polyimide aerogel is an ideal insulation material for aerospace and other applications.

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To further reduce the manufacturing cost and improve safety, silica aerogel composites (SAC) with low density and low thermal conductivity synthesized via ambient pressure drying (APD) technology have gradually become one of the most focused research areas. As a solvent, ethanol is flammable and needs to be replaced by other low surface tension solvents, which is dangerous and time-consuming. Therefore, the key steps of solvent replacement and surface modification in the APD process need to be simplified. Here, we demonstrate a facile strategy for preparing high strength mullite fiber reinforced SAC, which is synthesized by APD using water as a solvent, rather than using surface modification or solvent replacement. The effects of the fiber density on the physical properties, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivities of SAC are discussed in detail. The results show that when the fiber density of SAC is 0.24 g/cm3, the thermal conductivity at 1100 °C is 0.127 W/m·K, and the compressive strength at 10% strain is 1.348 MPa. Because of the simple synthesis process and excellent thermal-mechanical performance, the SAC is expected to be used as an efficient and economical insulation material.