Preparation and thermo-mechanical properties of SiO2 reinforced composite aerogel

Based on the ice template method, ternary composite aerogels were prepared from fumed SiO 2 , gelatin, and polyimide. The purpose of the study is to improve the thermal-mechanical properties of the composite aerogel by adding fumed SiO 2 , and to construct a cross-linking network by gelatin and polyimide to further provide attachment sites for fumed SiO 2 . By this method, the thermo-mechanical properties of the composite aerogels were enhanced. The results show that when 2.4 g fumed SiO 2 is added and freezing rate at -7 °C/min, the composite aerogel demonstrates excellent thermal-mechanical properties.