Large-Scale Nanofiber Manufacturing| Core-shell structured BN/SiO, nanofibermembrane featuring with dual-effectthermal management and flame retardancyfor extreme space thermal protection

Prof. Chuntai Liu from Zhengzhou University (Sci. Bull., IF 18.8): Core-shell BN/SiO₂ nanofiber membrane with dual-mode thermal management and flame retardancy for extreme space thermal protection.

Challenge: The extreme thermal environment in space poses severe challenges to astronaut suits due to rapid advancements in aerospace engineering, demanding higher-performance thermal protection materials.

Approach: Prof. Chuntai Liu's team developed a unique core-shell h-BN/SiO₂ nanofiber membrane (HS) via coaxial electrospinning, combining insulating SiO₂ shell fibers with passive radiative cooling (PRC) h-BN core fibers for dual-effect thermal management.

Innovation 1: With 0.9g h-BN loading, the HS membrane exhibits ultralow thermal conductivity (0.026 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹), >90% reflectivity/emissivity, and ideal cooling under intense solar/thermal radiation.

Innovation 2: The HS demonstrates exceptional flame retardancy due to h-BN/SiO₂'s thermal stability. Vacuum-filtered PI encapsulation boosts its tensile strength from 0.42 MPa to 7.2 MPa.