The authors present a method of increasing the structural stability of silica aerogels by producing flexible aerogel composites by electrospinning and sol-gel processing. Three composites, each reinforced with one of three different polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microstructures, were prepared in order to determine the effects of these microstructures on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. It was found that the compressive strength and flexibility of the composites were significantly ...
The authors present a method of fiber-reinforced aerogel composites by impregnation of four layers of aligned glass fibers into silica sol layer-by-layer. The effect of different fiber alignments, as well as the effect of fiber lamination on the mechanical strength of the silica aerogel composites was investigated. In addition to this, the thermal conductivity of each composite was determined. The objective of this work was to investigate whether it is ...
Biobased foams derived from lignins and tanins were produced by mechanical frothing and curing. The obtained foams did not crack after drying. The foams were found to be good thermal insulators with thermal conductivities ranging from 0.035 to 0.055 Wm-1K-1....
The authors present a method of preparation of TiO2 nanotubes by alkaline treatment (with NaOH) of TiO2 particles followed by acid-washing and annealing treatment. Theoretical and experimental studies on the thermal conductivity of TiO2 nanotubes is also presented. The thermal conductivity values determined experimentally matched well with theoretical values obtained. It was found that TiO2 nanotubes had a lower thermal conductivity than the original TiO2 particles. This phenomenon was attributed ...
The authors describe a synthesis method for a series of pulverized expandable graphite (pEG)/melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin core-shell structure particles. The particles are also added into rigid polyurethane foams (RPUF) to characterize the flame-retardant, mechanical, and thermal insulation properties of the RPUF/pEG-MF composites. It was found that the pEG/MF particles showed good flame-retardant performance in the composites by providing a physical barrier effect....
