Topological Polymer Networks-Enabled Mechanically Strong Polyamide-Imide Aerogel Fibers for Thermal Insulation in Harsh Environments

Abstract

Aerogel fibers have sparked substantial interest as attractive candidates for thermal insulation materials. Developing aerogel fibers with the desired porous structure, good knittability, flame retardancy, and high-and low-temperature resistance is of great significance for practical applications; however, that is very challenging, especially by using an efficient method. Herein, mechanically strong and flexible aerogel fibers with remarkable thermal insulation performance are reported, which are achieved by constructing stiff-soft topological polymer networks and a multilevel hollow porous structure. The combination of polyamide-imide (PAI) with stiff chains and polyurethane (PU) with soft chains is first found to be able to form a topological entanglement architecture. More importantly, multilevel hollow pores can be constructed synchronously through just a one-step and green wet-spinning process. The resultant PAI/PU@340 aerogel fibers show an ultrahigh breaking strength of 94.5 MPa and superelastic property with a breaking strain of 20%. Furthermore, they can be knitted into fabrics with a low thermal conductivity of 25 mW/(m•K) and exhibit attractive thermal insulation property under extremely high (300 °C) and low temperatures (−191 °C), implying them as promising candidates for next-generation thermal insulation materials.