title: Strong, Thermally Superinsulating Biopolymer-Silica Aerogel Hybrids by Cogelation of Silicic Acid with Pectin.
abstract: Silica aerogels are excellent thermal insulators, but their brittle nature has prevented widespread application. To overcome these mechanical limitations, silica-biopolymer hybrids are a promising alternative. A one-pot process to monolithic, superinsulating pectin-silica hybrid aerogels is presented. Their structural and physical properties can be tuned by adjusting the gelation pH and pectin concentration. Hybrid aerogels made at pH 1.5 exhibit minimal dust release and vastly improved mechanical properties while remaining excellent thermal insulators. The change in the mechanical properties is directly linked to the observed "neck-free" nanoscale network structure with thicker struts. Such a design is superior to "neck-limited", classical inorganic aerogels. This new class of materials opens up new perspectives for novel silica-biopolymer nanocomposite aerogels.
authors.affiliation: Building Energy Materials & Components Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Shanyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Building Energy Materials & Components Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Wim J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Malfait
authors.affiliation: MINES ParisTech, PSL Research University, CEMEF - Centre de Mise en Forme des Matériaux, UMR CNRS 7635, CS 10207, 06904 Sophia Antipolis (France).
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demilecamps
authors.affiliation: Electron Microscopy Center, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Yucheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Building Energy Materials & Components Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brunner
authors.affiliation: Building Energy Materials & Components Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Wood Laboratory, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland).
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tingaut
authors.affiliation: MINES ParisTech, PERSEE - Centre Procédés, Energies Renouvelables et Systèmes Energétiques, CS 10207, rue Claude Daunesse, 06904 Sophia Antipolis Cedex (France).
authors.forename: Arnaud
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rigacci
authors.affiliation: MINES ParisTech, PSL Research University, CEMEF - Centre de Mise en Forme des Matériaux, UMR CNRS 7635, CS 10207, 06904 Sophia Antipolis (France). tatiana.budtova@mines-paristech.fr.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Budtova
authors.affiliation: Building Energy Materials & Components Lab, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, CH-8600 Dübendorf (Switzerland). matthias.koebel@empa.ch.
authors.forename: Matthias M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Koebel
keywords: NMR spectroscopy; hybrid aerogels; polysaccharides; transmission electron microscopy