Pore structure, thermal insulation and compressive property of ZrO2 nanofiber aerogels with carbon junction fabricated by freeze drying

ZrO 2 nanofiber aerogels with carbon as fiber junction were fabricated by freeze drying. The effects of resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) content and fiber content on the pore structure , thermal property and compressive property of ZrO 2 /C nanofiber aerogels were systematically investigated. ZrO 2 /C nanofiber aerogels have ultra-high porosity above 99.4%, and possess hierarchical pore structure with honeycomb pores in the micro-scale and minor pores in the nano-scale. Both RF content and fiber content have effects on the porosity, thermal conductivity and plateau stress of ZrO 2 /C nanofiber aerogels. Thermal conductivity is in the range of 0.0332–0.036 W·m −1 ·K −1 . With the increase in RF content or fiber content, both thermal conductivity and plateau stress increase. The thermal transfer mode and compressive deformation mode were analyzed. Fiber junctions play a significant role during the thermal transfer and compression of ZrO 2 /C nanofiber aerogels.