Fabrication and Properties of Polyimide/Carbon Fiber Aerogel and the Derivative Carbon Aerogel

In this study, polyimide (PI)/carbon fiber (CF) aerogel was fabricated via a freeze-drying method. The introduction of CF endows PI aerogels with good dimensional stability in the thermal imidization process. The resulting aerogel possesses excellent mechanical property (as high as 58.45 MPa) and good hydrophobic property (contact angle above 120°). The PI/CF aerogel also has very good radiation resistance, with a compressive modulus of 50.45 MPa even after 10 MGy irradiation, which is 86.53% of the initial modulus. These characteristics make the PI/CF aerogel very suitable for applications in radiation environment. Subsequently, a carbon aerogel with high temperature resistance and good mechanical properties was obtained by carbonization of the PI/CF aerogel. Its comprehensive property is comparable to traditional porous carbon-bonded carbon fiber composites.