Tough and Thermal Insulated Poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) Aerogel Fibers Fabricated via Ambient Pressure Drying

Engineering aerogel fibers with good mechanical and thermal insulation properties via a simple approach is still a challenge. Herein, the wet spinning and ambient pressure drying (APD) approach is employed to fabricate PPBESK (poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) containing biphenyl moieties) aerogel fibers. By tuning the nonsolvents, a tough aerogel fiber was fabricated with the toughness of 11.4 MJ/m3. Results extracted from in situ uSAXS experiments suggest that the high deformation ability of small pores endows the aerogel fibers with high toughness. Meanwhile, the aerogel fibers have a good thermal insulation performance, and the temperature difference/thickness (ΔT/d) value reaches 53 °C/mm. Besides, they exhibit self-extinguishing and fast liquid spreading properties. Overall, this work may provide great opportunities to break through the performance limits of aerogel fibers and expand their application areas in high-temperature fabrics.