Preparation, properties and thermal control applications of silica aerogel infiltrated with solid–liquid phase change materials

In this study, silica aerogel saturated with erythritol as phase change materials (PCMs) was prepared by melt infiltration. The properties of the composite were determined by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), Fourier transformation-infrared spectroscope (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). In the novel composite, erythritol with high latent heat of fusion was used as PCM for thermal control, whereas nanoporous silica aerogel was prepared as the phase change matrix to provide structural strength and prevent leakage of the melted erythritol. Nitrogen gas adsorption curves and SEM analysis indicate that the pore structure of silica aerogel was porous and connected with each other. FT-IR analysis showed that the composite formation of silica aerogel and erythritol were physical, whereas DSC analysis showed that the melting point and heat storage capacity of the composite were 123.8°C and 289.92 kJ/kg, respectively. The thermal protection properties of phase change composites were designed under laboratory conditions using a thermal measurement setup of a simulated thermal environment of an aircraft. The phase change composite produced by the study can be used for thermal protection applications. Compared with the paraffin–silica aerogel composite, the erythritol–silica aerogel composite could rapidly control the rising temperature by absorbing heat under high thermal environments.