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Individuals are easily threatened by heat stress or hypothermia in outdoor environments. Therefore, there is a pressing necessity for thermal regulation materials capable of adapting to temperature shocks. Herein, an aerogel‐functionalized textile as a passive thermal regulator (AT‐PTR) is designed and demonstrated, comprising a heating side composed of carbon nanotube‐modified cotton fabric and a cooling side built of silica aerogel‐functionalized poly(vinylidene‐co‐hexafluoropropene) P(VdF‐HFP) nanofibers. The AT‐PTR demonstrates exceptional solar absorption on the heating side, achieving a warming performance of 23.2 °C in cold winter. On the cooling side, its high solar reflectance and infrared emissivity facilitate a sub‐ambient cooling effect of 12.7 °C during hot summer. Moreover, outdoor field tests of the AT‐PTR conducted across various regions and seasons demonstrate an all‐seasonal outdoor human thermal management capability. Additionally, the AT‐PTR exhibits outstanding wind‐proof and moisture permeability, and heat flow can be simply attained by flipping the AT‐PTR, ensuring sustained thermal comfort for individuals across various environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigating embodied emissions is becoming increasingly crucial as the energy supply shifts toward more sustainable sources. Bio-based materials present a potentially more sustainable alternative to synthetic polymers; however, it often do not yet match the performance of synthetic materials. Given the ongoing reliance on high-performance, high-environmental-impact materials, it is essential to ensure their complete recyclability. Aerogels, recognized by IUPAC as one of the top ten emerging technologies, are witnessing rapid market growth in thermal insulation and thermal protection applications. In certain applications, synthetic and composite aerogels exhibit superior performance, particularly under high temperatures. Here, molecular simulation tools are employed to elucidate the interaction forces between polymers and solvents, develop a recycling strategy for polyimide-based aerogels, and demonstrate their application in thermal protection for firefighter textiles and thermal runaway protection for Li-ion battery packs. These composites are engineered for disassembly, allowing for the complete recovery of starting materials without any degradation of components after multiple recycling cycles. The recyclable composites can be fabricated using various manufacturing techniques to produce fibers (1D), membranes (2D), and complex structures (3D). This unique combination of outstanding performance and excellent recyclability facilitates the sustainable utilization of aerogels in protective clothing, electric mobility, consumer goods, and aeronautics., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Materials published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Ultra-lightweight materials often face the formidable challenge of balancing their low density, high porosity, high mechanical stiffness, high thermal and environmental stability, and low thermal conductivity. This study introduces an innovative method for synthesizing high-performance polymer aerogels to address the challenge. Specifically, we detail the production of poly (2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-phenylene pyridine diimidazole) (PIPD or M5) aerogels. This process involves chemically stripping M5 "super" fibers into nanofibers, undergoing a Sol-Gel transition, followed by freeze-drying and subsequent thermal annealing. The M5 aerogels excel beyond existing polymer aerogels, boasting an ultralight density of 6.03 mg cm -3 , superior thermal insulation with thermal conductivity at 32 mW m -1  K -1 , inherent flame retardancy (LOI=50.3 %), 80 % compression resilience, a high specific surface area of 462.1 m 2  g -1 , and outstanding thermal stability up to 463 °C. These multi-faceted properties position the M5 aerogel as a front-runner in lightweight insulation materials, demonstrating the strategic use of high-performance polymer assembly units in aerogel design., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)