Chinese Scientists Developed Fire Resistant 'Aerogel' for Buildings

Chinese scientists have developed a surface nanocrystallization method to create an all-natural wood-inspired airgel with better thermal insulation and fire retardancy. Wood has several extraordinary properties due to its oriented pore structure. Among them, low thermal conductivity has led researchers to develop wood-like aerogels as thermal insulation materials.

Researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China used the surface nanocrystallization method with natural biomass and minerals as components to better combine surface inert and weakly interacting wood particles to form the airgel.

Inspired by the resulting wood, the airgel has a channel structure similar to that of natural wood, allowing it to have better thermal insulation properties compared to most commercial sponges available. The low energy consumption and emissions and natural ingredients of the preparation process have made the airgel more biodegradable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. The research findings in question were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.