A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties

Alumina aerogels are considered to have good application prospects in the high-temperature field. In this study, monolithic mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels with excellent mechanical and thermal properties were synthesized via a facile method without the use of any chelating agents. This me...

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Main Authors: Lin Liu, Xiaodong Wang, Ze Zhang, Yixin Shi, Yicheng Zhao, Shiqi Shen, Xiandong Yao, Jun Shen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-06-01
Series:Gels
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/8/6/380
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author Lin Liu
Xiaodong Wang
Ze Zhang
Yixin Shi
Yicheng Zhao
Shiqi Shen
Xiandong Yao
Jun Shen
author_facet Lin Liu
Xiaodong Wang
Ze Zhang
Yixin Shi
Yicheng Zhao
Shiqi Shen
Xiandong Yao
Jun Shen
author_sort Lin Liu
collection DOAJ
description Alumina aerogels are considered to have good application prospects in the high-temperature field. In this study, monolithic mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels with excellent mechanical and thermal properties were synthesized via a facile method without the use of any chelating agents. This method successfully avoids the introduction of impurities during the use of catalysts and chelating agents while greatly reducing gelation time, and thus helps mullite fibers to uniformly disperse in the sol. The compressive stress at 80% strain of the obtained mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels was as high as 16.04 MPa—426% higher than that of the alumina aerogel without the addition of mullite fibers. Regarding thermal properties, the shrinkage of the mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels (AM) samples was less than 1% after heat treatment at 1300 °C for 2 h. Furthermore, the rear-surface temperature of the AM samples burned by a butane blow torch was only 68 °C. These outstanding properties make AM samples promising for application in thermal insulation materials in high-temperature fields such as aerospace and industrial thermal protection in the future.
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spelling doaj.art-6135be8678164ee3ac173d2f2d7ca6d62023-11-23T16:45:51ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612022-06-018638010.3390/gels8060380A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal PropertiesLin Liu0Xiaodong Wang1Ze Zhang2Yixin Shi3Yicheng Zhao4Shiqi Shen5Xiandong Yao6Jun Shen7Shanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000, ChinaCollege of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing 312000, ChinaShanghai Key Laboratory of Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, ChinaAlumina aerogels are considered to have good application prospects in the high-temperature field. In this study, monolithic mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels with excellent mechanical and thermal properties were synthesized via a facile method without the use of any chelating agents. This method successfully avoids the introduction of impurities during the use of catalysts and chelating agents while greatly reducing gelation time, and thus helps mullite fibers to uniformly disperse in the sol. The compressive stress at 80% strain of the obtained mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels was as high as 16.04 MPa—426% higher than that of the alumina aerogel without the addition of mullite fibers. Regarding thermal properties, the shrinkage of the mullite fiber-reinforced alumina aerogels (AM) samples was less than 1% after heat treatment at 1300 °C for 2 h. Furthermore, the rear-surface temperature of the AM samples burned by a butane blow torch was only 68 °C. These outstanding properties make AM samples promising for application in thermal insulation materials in high-temperature fields such as aerospace and industrial thermal protection in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/8/6/380alumina aerogelmullite fibersol-gel methodmechanical propertiesthermal properties
spellingShingle Lin Liu
Xiaodong Wang
Ze Zhang
Yixin Shi
Yicheng Zhao
Shiqi Shen
Xiandong Yao
Jun Shen
A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties
Gels
alumina aerogel
mullite fiber
sol-gel method
mechanical properties
thermal properties
title A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties
title_full A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties
title_fullStr A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties
title_full_unstemmed A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties
title_short A Facile Method for Fabricating a Monolithic Mullite Fiber-Reinforced Alumina Aerogel with Excellent Mechanical and Thermal Properties
title_sort facile method for fabricating a monolithic mullite fiber reinforced alumina aerogel with excellent mechanical and thermal properties
topic alumina aerogel
mullite fiber
sol-gel method
mechanical properties
thermal properties
url https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/8/6/380
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