Cellulose microtube/aramid nanofiber composite foam.

Over the past decade, cellulose microtube-based foam materials have gained immense traction for their potential applications in construction, transportation, electronics, and so on with the gradual deterioration of the environment and the rapid depletion of fossil resources. However, the cellulose microtube-based foam materials have some disadvantages-the poor thermal insulation properties derived from the large and uneven pore structure, the low mechanical strength derived from the fewer microtube bonding points, and so on. These disadvantages limit their wide usage. In this paper, we are committed to enhance the performance of the cellulose microtube-based (CMT) foam materials, using aramid nanofiber (ANF) aerogel to fill the large and uneven pore structure of the CMT foam materials. The ANF suspension can be quickly and evenly adsorbed by the large and uneven porous structure of the CMT foam materials. The ANF aerogels can fill in the pores of the CMT foam materials uniformly. The morphology, microstructure, BET surface area, pore structure, and mechanical strength of the cellulose microtube/aramid nanofiber (CMT/ANF) composite foam can be effectively tuned by the concentration of the ANF suspension. The CMT/ANF-0.6 composite foam has the best thermal insulation properties. The temperature difference of the CMT/ANF-0.6 composite foam was 47, 72 and 109 °C when the temperature of the hot stage was 107, 155 and 208 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]