Large-Scale Nanofiber Manufacturing| Gradientall-nanostructured aerogel fibers forenhancedthermalinsulationandmechanicalproperties

Prof. Ye Dongdong (Anhui Agricultural University) et al.: Gradient All-Nanostructured Aerogel Fibers for Enhanced Thermal Insulation and Mechanical Performance

Challenge: Lightweight, nanoporous aerogel fibers are crucial for personal thermal management. However, wet-spinning methods (e.g., for aramid aerogels) inevitably form dense outer layers, significantly reducing the volume fraction of effective thermal-barrier nanovoids and limiting ultimate thermal resistance improvement in fibers.

Approach: Prof. Ye Dongdong's team (Anhui Agricultural University), collaborating with Prof. Song Jianwei (Xi'an Jiaotong University) and Prof. Zhu Shuze (Zhejiang University), developed gradient all-nanostructured aramid aerogel fibers (GAF) via microfluidic spinning.

Innovation 1: The gradient nanostructure creates high interfacial thermal resistance at heat transfer interfaces, achieving ultralow radial thermal conductivity (0.0228 W m-1 K-1) - significantly lower than air and wet-spun aerogel fibers.

Innovation 2: GAF's unique nano-interconnected network effectively dissipates stress, enabling exceptional tensile strength (29.5 MPa) and fracture strain (39.2%).