Flexible curdlan-based aerogels enhanced by wood fibers with ultralow thermal conductivity

Developing flexible and lightweight materials with elevated thermal insulation performance from renewable biomass is significant for green and sustainable energy. In this work, a multifunctional biomass aerogel using wood waste as a raw material is proposed. The composite aerogel consists of curdlan as a structural framework, wood fibers and nano-hydroxyapatite as reinforcing phases. By employing thermogravimetry (TG), infrared thermal imager and thermal conductivity tester, the thermal stability and thermal insulation performance of the aerogel were evaluated. The consequent thermal conductivity reaches 30.1 × 10−3 W/(m·K). As the strength and toughness of the aerogel is improved by introducing cellulose into the matrix, it shows a maximum compressive modulus of 1.65 MPa. The hydrophobicity of the aerogel is achieved by an alkylation method and the contact angle is over 120°. This nontoxic aerogel composite with high thermal and mechanical performance indicates a potential utilization in the thermal management of food and electronic industry.