Elastic and highly fatigue resistant ZrO2-SiO2 nanofibrous aerogel with low energy dissipation for thermal insulation

As promising candidates for a wide range of applications, advanced ceramic aerogels with robust mechanical properties are urgently needed. However, the generic structural characteristics of ceramic aerogels, such as brittleness, fatigue failure, and large energy dissipation, present a great obstacle to their practical applications. Herein, we report a universal strategy to demonstrate a ceramic nanofibrous aerogel with superior elasticity and high fatigue resistance, realized by assembling flexible ZrO2-SiO2 nanofibers into fluffy lamellar arch-shaped cellular structured. The as-obtained ZrO2-SiO2 nanofibrous aerogels can rapidly recover from 90% strain, and exhibit high compression strength of 950 kPa (90% strain) and temperature-invariant superelasticity (from −196 to 1100 °C). In particular, the aerogels exhibit a low energy loss coefficient (0.28) and high fatigue resistance with zero plastic deformation after 1000 compression and release cycles, surpassing the performance of previously reported ceramic aerogels. Furthermore, the low thermal conductivity (0.0268 W m−1 K−1) and excellent high-temperature thermal insulation make it a desirable candidate for heat insulators under harsh conditions. The successful synthesis of these structural ceramic materials with high superelasticity, excellent compressibility, and superior fatigue resistance simultaneously opens up avenues for further the development of mechanically robust aerogel materials.