Robustly Flexible, Highly Transparent, and Polymerization-Regulated Polyimide Aerogel Membranes as Efficient Thermal Insulators for Solar Collection.

Efficient thermal insulators that can maintain their efficacy at extreme temperatures are in pressing demand, particularly in fields such as energy saving, aerospace, and sophisticated equipment. Herein, a novel and facile polymerization-regulated optimal strategy is adapted to realize the comprehensive performance of polyimide (PI) aerogel membranes with mechanical robustness, high flexibility, hydrophobicity, light transmittance, and efficient thermal insulation. Benefiting from the hydrolysis of monomers and chemical imidization reaction process verified by a thermo-chemo-mechanically coupled theoretical model, the viscosity of precursors, shrinkage rate, and microstructure of aerogels are precisely controlled, leading to a low thermal conductivity range of 0.023-0.044 W/(m·K). The fabricated PI aerogel membranes, which undergo a remarkable transformation from their initial brittle and opaque nature to a state of high flexibility and transparency, exhibit a 3.0 times increase in tensile strength (4.6 MPa) and a 8.4 times improvement in elongation at break (20.6%) over previous studies while demonstrating an exceptional light transmittance of 92.5% across a wide spectral range from 500 to 2500 nm. Additionally, the PI aerogel membranes possess superior mechanical properties and a wide temperature resistance range extending from -196 to 300 °C. These flexible PI aerogel membranes can be effectively adjusted to meet the practical application of a circular ring solar thermal collector, which displayed a high solar heat collection temperature of 135 °C at a thickness of 0.5 mm. The coordination between the thermophysical properties and mechanical properties of the PI aerogel membranes in this work holds great promise for application requirements of thermal insulators in optical elements under harsh environments.

La-Doped Sm2Zr2O7/PU-Coated Leather Composites with Enhanced Mechanical Properties and Highly Efficient Photocatalytic Performance.

Flexible La-doped Sm2Zr2O7/polyurethane (PU) coated leather composites were synthesized using a one-step hydrothermal method, with highly efficient photocatalytic degradation properties by coating the La-doped Sm2Zr2O7/PU emulsion onto the leather and drying it. The phase composition and optical properties of the as-prepared photocatalytic material were systematically characterized. The result revealed that La was doped in Sm2Zr2O7 successfully, and the prepared samples still possessed pyrochlore structure. The absorption edge of the prepared samples exhibited a red-shift with the increase in La doping, indicating that La doping could broaden the absorbance range of the La-doped Sm2Zr2O7 materials. The catalytic performance of La-doped Sm2Zr2O7/PU composite emulsion coating on the photocatalytic performance of leather was studied with Congo red solution as the target pollutant. The results showed that the best photocatalytic property was found in the 5% La-doped Sm2Zr2O7 nanomaterial at a concentration of 3 g/L. The resulting 5% La-doped Sm2Zr2O7 nanomaterial exhibited a high specific surface area of 73.5 m2/g. After 40 min of irradiation by a 450 W xenon lamp, the degradation rate of Congo red reached 93%. Moreover, after surface coating, the La-doped Sm2Zr2O7/PU coated leather composites showed obviously improved mechanical properties, as the tensile strength of La-doped Sm2Zr2O7/PU coated leather composites increased from 6.3 to 8.4 MPa. The as-prepared La-doped Sm2Zr2O7/PU coated leather composites with enhanced mechanical properties and highly efficient photocatalytic performance hold promising applications in the treatment of indoor volatile organic compounds.

Flexible Aerogel Materials: A Review on Revolutionary Flexibility Strategies and the Multifunctional Applications.

The design and preparation of flexible aerogel materials with high deformability and versatility have become an emerging research topic in the aerogel fields, as the brittle nature of traditional aerogels severely affects their safety and reliability in use. Herein, we review the preparation methods and properties of flexible aerogels and summarize the various controlling and design methods of aerogels to overcome the fragility caused by high porosity and nanoporous network structure. The mechanical flexibility of aerogels can be revolutionarily improved by monomer regulation, nanofiber assembly, structural design and controlling, and constructing of aerogel composites, which can greatly broaden the multifunctionality and practical application prospects. The design and construction criterion of aerogel flexibility is summarized: constructing a flexible and deformable microstructure in an aerogel matrix. Besides, the derived multifunctional applications in the fields of flexible thermal insulation (flexible thermal protection at extreme temperatures), flexible wearable electronics (flexible sensors, flexible electrodes, electromagnetic shielding, and wave absorption), and environmental protection (oil/water separation and air filtration) are summarized. Furthermore, the future development prospects and challenges of flexible aerogel materials are also summarized. This review will provide a comprehensive research basis and guidance for the structural design, fabrication methods, and potential applications of flexible aerogels.

Joint Performance of a Continuous Glass Fiber/Polypropylene Composite.

Thermoplastic composite structures possess superior properties compared with thermosetting composites, including recyclability and high damage tolerance. However, the poor adhesion properties of thermoplastic composites make their joining process challenging. In this research, three bonding techniques, namely adhesive, mechanical joining, and hybrid bonding, are investigated using lap shear specimens to evaluate their mechanical properties and failure modes. The stress distributions at the joints of the three bonding techniques are analyzed by numerical simulation. The findings demonstrate that hybrid bonding enhances the strength of composite joints, albeit at the expense of some stiffness due to the presence of an open hole. This method is particularly suitable for applications that necessitate robust connections requiring high strength.