PVA/sodium alginate multi-network aerogel fibers, incorporated with PEG and ZnO, exhibit enhanced temperature regulation, antibacterial, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2023-10, Vol.317, p.121037-121037, Article 121037
• Main Authors: Bai, Zijian, Zhang, Hong, Zhu, Haotong, Jiang, Jianyu, Zhang, Dongnan, Yu, Yue, Quan, Fengyu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerogel fiber; Antibacterial properties; Multi-network structure; Polyvinyl alcohol; Sodium alginate; Thermal management
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121037

This paper presents a novel approach for the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/sodium alginate (SA) aerogel fibers with a multilayered network structure using wet spinning and freeze-thaw cycling techniques. The multiple cross-linking networks regulate the pore structure, leading to the formation of stable and tunable multilevel pore architectures. PEG and nano-ZnO were successfully loaded onto the PVA/SA modified aerogel fibers (MAFs) using vacuum impregnation. MAFs exhibited excellent thermal stability at 70 °C without leakage after 24 h of heating. Furthermore, MAFs demonstrated excellent temperature regulation performance, with a latent heat of 121.4 J/g, which accounts for approximately 83 % of PEG. After modification, the thermal conductivity of MAFs was significantly improved, and they exhibited excellent antibacterial properties. Therefore, MAFs are expected to be widely used in intelligent temperature-regulating textiles. [Display omitted]