Anisotropic Aerogels with Excellent Mechanical Resilience and Thermal Insulation from Pleurotus eryngii Fungus

Abstract

Biomass aerogels with superior sustainability, high compressibility, and resilience are highly attractive for diverse technological applications. Anisotropic fungus aerogels derived from natural Pleurotus eryngii with excellent compressibility and resilience are obtained through a facile and environmentally friendly top-down approach. The preserved alignment of polysaccharide fibers inside fungus aerogels leads to remarkable anisotropic mechanical and thermal insulation properties. The cross-links generated via facile chemical modification endow fungus aerogels with excellent compressibility and resilience (deformation recovery rate of ≥96% even when the compression strain is ≥90%). Moreover, via a facile hydrophobic silanization treatment, the elastic aerogels can be endowed with excellent superhydrophobicity and water resistance. It is anticipated that this facile and sustainable strategy will provide technical support for scalable production of fungus-based aerogels with excellent compressibility and resilience, unique thermal anisotropy, and superior renewability. Meanwhile, the newly developed fungus aerogels will have broad applications in durable thermal insulation and acoustic absorption materials.