Preparation of aerogel-like SiOC ceramic with honeycomb structure and its high-temperature performance

Development of lightweight ceramic aerogel with enhanced thermal insulation and high temperature resistance is required in the field of thermal insulation. Here, a aerogel-like SiOC ceramic with honeycomb structure was prepared by solvothermal method using polyhydromethylsiloxane (PHMS) as precursor and divinylbenzene (DVB) as cross-linker followed by freeze-drying and pyrolysis. The pore size and homogeneity of the honeycomb structure could be further controlled by the content of DVB through adjusting the crosslinking degree of the PSO wet gel. The aerogel-like SiOC possessing uniform honeycomb structure with the pore size of 20–50 µm and the wall thickness of 3–6 µm is obtained at the mass ratio of DVB:PHMS of 2:1. The aerogel-like SiOC exhibits low density (0.14 g·cm−3) and low thermal conductivity (0.0577 W·m−1·K−1). Moreover, it maintains the honeycomb structure after high temperature treatment at 1400 °C in argon and 800 °C in air indicating its good thermal stability. This work provides a novel route for the preparation of the aerogel-like SiOC ceramic with honeycomb structure and designable overall performance, further expanding its application in thermal insulation.