Comparison of Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Thermal Conductivity of Unsaturated Polyester Composites Filled With Plain SiO2 Aerogel and Core-Shell SiO2 Aerogel

An unsaturated polyester resin was modified with plain and core-shell SiO2 aerogels having mean particles diameter of 2.5±0.5 mm. The core-shell structured particle consists of nanoporous SiO2 aerogel core and polyvinyl alcohol shell fabricated using fluidized bed coating process. Two types of polymer composites were prepared at a 30% (by volume) of plain and core-shell aerogels and the thermal conductivities and viscoelastic behaviors of the composites were compared using hot-disk thermal analyzer and dynamic mechanical analysis. The results in this work reveal better thermal insulation and dynamic mechanical properties of the composite containing core-shell aerogels due to preserved aerogel pores and better filler-matrix interaction.