Graphene aerogel fiber fabric, let’s learn about it together

Aerogel fibers have the characteristics of low density, high porosity, high specific surface area, and high toughness, and show great application potential in the fields of thermal insulation, flame retardancy, and smart wear. In addition to the above characteristics, graphene aerogel fibers also have excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, electrothermal performance, and photothermal performance, and are the preferred materials for the new generation of functional smart fabrics. However, the unstable disordered porous network structure makes it difficult to be widely used in the form of fabrics. Graphene aerogel fiber fabric Recently, a research team from Zhejiang University used the plasticization and swelling method of pre-woven fabrics to prepare high-performance graphene aerogel fiber fabrics, breaking through the difficulties of graphene-based high-performance aerogel fibers in weaving and large-scale application. The method is simple and efficient, and the obtained graphene aerogel fiber fabric has high strength, which lays the foundation for the preparation and development of high-performance graphene aerogel fiber fabrics. Graphene aerogel fiber fabrics have the excellent conductive electrothermal properties, photothermal properties, and thermal conductivity of graphene, and show great advantages in the fields of thermal management and protection. The surface temperature of the fabric can be changed by applying a voltage far below the safety level for the human body; the surface temperature of the fabric can be adjusted by external sunlight; and energy can be effectively stored and released by composite phase change materials combined with the electrothermal properties of graphene. The plasticizing and swelling method can make the prepared aerogel fiber maintain the orientation of its precursor solid-state graphene oxide fiber, so that highly oriented aerogel fibers can be obtained. Compared with the traditional liquid crystal spinning method, the increase in orientation strengthens the lap strength of the porous network of graphene oxide and improves its mechanical strength. Based on the plasticizing and swelling mechanism, by adjusting the composition of the plasticizing and swelling bath, that is, changing the polarity of the solvent, the swelling rate of the graphene oxide gel fiber can be effectively adjusted, and then the density, porosity and other structural parameters of the aerogel fiber can be regulated on a large scale, breaking through the density limitation of the traditional liquid crystal spinning method. After chemical reduction and high-temperature heat treatment, the mechanical strength and conductivity of graphene aerogel fibers gradually increase with the increase of density. The mechanical strength of a single graphene aerogel fiber can reach up to 103 MPa, and the conductivity can reach 1.06×104 S/m. The solvent polarity affects the morphological structure of the pre-woven fabric in the plasticizing swelling bath. When the solvent polarity is strong, the swelling rate of the graphene oxide aerogel fiber is large, the structural strength is reduced, and the single fiber is easy to break in the swelling bath, destroying the integrity of the fabric structure; as the solvent polarity decreases, the swelling rate of the graphene oxide gel fiber decreases, the gel strength increases, and the integrity of the pre-woven fabric structure can be maintained.