Facile preparation for gelatin/hydroxyethyl cellulose‐SiO2 composite aerogel with good mechanical strength, heat insulation, and water resistance

• Published in: Journal of applied polymer science 2021-06, Vol.138 (23), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Peng, Tangping, Zhu, Jundong, Huang, Tao, Jiang, Chongwen, Zhao, Fuxing, Ge, Shengzhuo, Xie, Le
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aerogel; biopolymer composites; Biopolymers; Cellulose; Chemical bonds; Chemical composition; Compression tests; Compressive strength; Contact angle; Crosslinking; Fourier transforms; Gelatin; Hydrogen bonds; Hydrophobicity; Hydroxyethyl celluloses; Infrared analysis; Insulation; Materials science; Mechanical properties; Particulate composites; Polymers; Porosity; Silica aerogels; Silicon dioxide; Thermal conductivity; Thermal insulation; thermal properties; Thermal protection; Thermal resistance; Water resistance
• ISSN: 0021-8995; 1097-4628
• DOI: 10.1002/app.50539

The advanced thermal insulation materials with low cost and high mechanical properties play an important role in transport packaging and thermal protection fields. An inorganic/organic composite aerogel was prepared through hydrogen bonds and chemical crosslinking among silica aerogel particles, gelatin (GA), and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC). The as‐prepared GA/HEC‐SiO2 composite aerogels were characterized by compression tests, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analyzer, and contact angle tests to investigate the chemical composition and physical structure. The GA/HEC‐SiO2 composite aerogels exhibited a strong mechanical strength (0.53–4.01 MPa), a high compression modulus (1.33–11.52 MPa), a lower volume density (0.035–0.081 g/cm3), thermal conductivity as low as 0.035 W/[m K]), a porosity of more than 93%, and hydrophobic angle as high as 150.01° after hydrophobic modification. These results indicate that biopolymer composite aerogels embedded with SiO2 aerogel particles display a bright future in thermal insulation.