Large-Scale Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Flexible, Hydrophobic, and Fire-Resistant Mica/SiO2 Nanofiber Aerogel Paper

Oxide ceramic aerogels offer exceptional thermal insulation and chemical stability but face limitations due to brittleness, moisture sensitivity, and costly, complex manufacturing. Here, we present a roll-to-roll method for producing flexible, hydrophobic, and fire-resistant silica/mica hybrid aerogel paper. The process bypasses the need for expensive polymer sacrificial templates and high temperature sintering, instead forming aerogels directly through electrospinning stabilized tetraethyl orthosilicate and a synthetic fluorophlogopite sol. By incorporating synthetic mica nanosheets (SMNS) into SiO2 nanofibers (NFs), the resulting aerogels achieve a low thermal conductivity of 0.022 W/m·K and density of 5 mg/cm3 and withstands temperatures >1800 °C. It also exhibits 99% UV blocking, mechanical robustness, and superior hydrophobicity, overcoming key challenges in ceramic aerogel applications. This approach enables scalable, cost-effective production of high-performance ceramic aerogels.