Aerogel fabric is a kind of high performance material, which has the advantages of porosity, low density, high specific surface area, high strength, low thermal conductivity and good physical and chemical stability. aerogel fabric began in 1931 by the American chemist Stephen Curry proposed, its English name "aerogel", that is, "aerogel" is from the aerogel. Aerogel refers to the prefabricated gel under the action of supercritical gas (such as CO2), the gas is dissolved into the gel at high pressure and high temperature, and then it is rapidly degassed by reducing pressure or cooling, so as to form an aerogel. There are many types of aerogel, such as silica aerogel, alumina aerogel, iron oxide aerogel, carbon aerogel and so on. Among them, silica aerogels are widely used.
There are many fields of application of aerogel fabrics, the following are some typical applications:
1. Aerospace field: Aerogel can reduce the weight of spacecraft, and improve its high temperature resistance and heat insulation. NASA's Explorer and Discoverer spacecraft have used aerogel.
2. Energy-saving insulation field: The use of aerogel as energy-saving insulation material for buildings, industrial equipment, cold storage, vehicles and other thermal insulation materials can reduce energy consumption and improve heat insulation.
3. Environmental pollution control field: One of the important applications of aerogel is the adsorption, separation and solidification of pollutants. Aerogel can adsorb toxic and harmful gases, such as formaldehyde and benzene.
4. Biomedical field: aerogels such as alumina and silicon dioxide can be used as drug carriers and biosensors in the biomedical field. At the same time, the aerogel's low density and porous properties make it an ideal choice for medical devices such as bone repair materials and artificial heart valves.
5. New energy field: aerogels are widely used in new energy fields such as battery materials, solar cells and fuel cells. Aerogels can be used as highly efficient catalysts and electrolytes to improve energy conversion efficiency.
In general, aerogel fabric is a high-performance material with a wide range of applications, and its unique physical and chemical properties provide strong support for the development of technology in various fields.
