3D-Printed Mullite-Reinforced SiC-Based Aerogel Composites.

ABSTRACT

There is a growing demand for thermal management materials in electronic fields. Aerogels have attracted interest due to their extremely low density and extraordinary thermal insulation properties. However, the application of aerogels is limited by high production costs and the requirement that aerogel structures not be load-bearing. In this study, mullite-reinforced SiC-based aerogel composite (MR-SiC AC) is prepared through 3D printing combined with in situ growth of SiC nanowires in post processing. The fabricated MR-SiC AC not only has ultra-low thermal conductivity (0.021 W K m-1) and high porosity (90.0%), but also a high Young's modulus (24.4 MPa) and high compressive strength (1.65 MPa), both exceeding the measurements of existing resilient aerogels by an order of magnitude. These properties make MR-SiC AC an ideal solution for the precision thermal management of lightweight structures having complex geometry for functional devices.