Air‐Drying for Rapid Manufacture of Flexible Aramid Nanofiber Aerogel Fibers with Robust Mechanical Properties and Thermal Insulation in Harsh Environments

Aerogel fibers uniting characteristics of both aerogels (lightweight and porosity) and fibers (flexibility and wearability) exhibit a great potential for the production of the next generation of thermal protection textiles; still, the complex drying procedures and mechanical brittleness remain the main obstacles toward further exploitation. Herein, flexible and robust aramid nanofiber aerogel fibers (ANAFs) are scalably prepared by continuous wet-spinning coupled with fast air-drying. This synthesis involves calcium ions (Ca