Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties
Aerogels emerge as captivating contenders within the realm of high-temperature thermal resistance and thermal insulation. Nevertheless, their practical applications are usually constrained by their inherent brittleness when subjected to rigorous conditions. Herein, employing hafnium dichloride oxide...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Gels |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/10/839 |
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| author | Wei Wang Zhanwu Wu Shicong Song Qi You Sheng Cui Weimin Shen Guoqing Wang Xuanfeng Zhang Xiaofei Zhu |
| author_facet | Wei Wang Zhanwu Wu Shicong Song Qi You Sheng Cui Weimin Shen Guoqing Wang Xuanfeng Zhang Xiaofei Zhu |
| author_sort | Wei Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aerogels emerge as captivating contenders within the realm of high-temperature thermal resistance and thermal insulation. Nevertheless, their practical applications are usually constrained by their inherent brittleness when subjected to rigorous conditions. Herein, employing hafnium dichloride oxide octahydrate (HfOCl<sub>2</sub>·8H<sub>2</sub>O) as the hafnium source and resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) as the carbon precursor, hafnium carbide (HfC) aerogels are fabricated via the sol-gel method complemented with carbothermal reduction reaction. Investigations are conducted into the effects of various molar ratios, duration, and temperatures of calcination on the microstructural features and physico-chemical characteristics of the as-prepared HfC aerogel. The aerogel shows a high BET-specific surface area (601.02 m<sup>2</sup>/g), which is much larger than those of previously reported aerogels. Furthermore, the HfC aerogel exhibits a low thermal conductivity of 0.053 W/(m·K) and a compressive strength of up to 6.12 MPa after carbothermal reduction at 1500 °C. These excellent thermal insulation and mechanical properties ensure it is ideal for the utilization of high-temperature thermal resistance and thermal insulation in the fields of aerospace. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:14:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b2a710ecf49f4e69b4d47180920524eb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2310-2861 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:14:00Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Gels |
| spelling | doaj.art-b2a710ecf49f4e69b4d47180920524eb2023-11-19T16:36:07ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612023-10-0191083910.3390/gels9100839Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical PropertiesWei Wang0Zhanwu Wu1Shicong Song2Qi You3Sheng Cui4Weimin Shen5Guoqing Wang6Xuanfeng Zhang7Xiaofei Zhu8College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, ChinaShanghai Space Propulsion Technology Research Institute, Huzhou 313000, ChinaShanghai Space Propulsion Technology Research Institute, Huzhou 313000, ChinaCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, ChinaCollege of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, ChinaShanghai Space Propulsion Technology Research Institute, Huzhou 313000, ChinaShanghai Space Propulsion Technology Research Institute, Huzhou 313000, ChinaShanghai Space Propulsion Technology Research Institute, Huzhou 313000, ChinaShanghai Space Propulsion Technology Research Institute, Huzhou 313000, ChinaAerogels emerge as captivating contenders within the realm of high-temperature thermal resistance and thermal insulation. Nevertheless, their practical applications are usually constrained by their inherent brittleness when subjected to rigorous conditions. Herein, employing hafnium dichloride oxide octahydrate (HfOCl<sub>2</sub>·8H<sub>2</sub>O) as the hafnium source and resorcinol–formaldehyde (RF) as the carbon precursor, hafnium carbide (HfC) aerogels are fabricated via the sol-gel method complemented with carbothermal reduction reaction. Investigations are conducted into the effects of various molar ratios, duration, and temperatures of calcination on the microstructural features and physico-chemical characteristics of the as-prepared HfC aerogel. The aerogel shows a high BET-specific surface area (601.02 m<sup>2</sup>/g), which is much larger than those of previously reported aerogels. Furthermore, the HfC aerogel exhibits a low thermal conductivity of 0.053 W/(m·K) and a compressive strength of up to 6.12 MPa after carbothermal reduction at 1500 °C. These excellent thermal insulation and mechanical properties ensure it is ideal for the utilization of high-temperature thermal resistance and thermal insulation in the fields of aerospace.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/10/839HfC aerogelsol-gelcarbothermal reductionthermal insulationcompressive strength |
| spellingShingle | Wei Wang Zhanwu Wu Shicong Song Qi You Sheng Cui Weimin Shen Guoqing Wang Xuanfeng Zhang Xiaofei Zhu Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties Gels HfC aerogel sol-gel carbothermal reduction thermal insulation compressive strength |
| title | Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties |
| title_full | Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties |
| title_fullStr | Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties |
| title_full_unstemmed | Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties |
| title_short | Facile Preparation of a Novel HfC Aerogel with Low Thermal Conductivity and Excellent Mechanical Properties |
| title_sort | facile preparation of a novel hfc aerogel with low thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties |
| topic | HfC aerogel sol-gel carbothermal reduction thermal insulation compressive strength |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/10/839 |
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