Organosilica Nanotubes for Thermal Insulation.

Super-thermal insulation materials have important applications in the field of building insulation. The construction of one-dimensional nanotube thermal insulation materials is expected to further reduce their thermal conductivity. Organosilica nanotubes are fabricated using an in situ interfacial sol–gel reaction at the inverse-emulsion interface. Compared with the preparation method of silica aerogel, this one-pot sol–gel method is facile and can be carried out at room temperature. The nanotube morphologies and gelation process can be controlled. Because of their hierarchical porous structures, the as-formed nanotube materials have high thermal insulation properties, which are below that of air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]