US EPA

7038313 

Journal Article 

Aerogel Embedded Electrospun Nanofiber Layers for Thermal Insulation 

Venkataraman, M; Mishra, R; Marek, J; Kucerova, K; Militky, J; , 

2017 

TEXTILE BIOENGINEERING & INFORMATICS SOCIETY LTD 

HONG KONG SAR 

745-751 

WOS:000412149100033 

Human's quest for survival against harsh climatic conditions is assisted by the clothes they wear. It is imperative that the efficacy of such clothes is high under difficult conditions. Experimentation on protective clothing using different fibers, fabrics and coating materials is a continuous process. In this regard, the thermal properties of nanofibers and their potential protection against cold environments have to be explored further. Thermal insulation battings incorporating nanofibers could possibly decrease the weight and bulk of current thermal protective clothing, and increase mobility for wearers. In this research, the mechanisms of heat transfer was studied through fibrous insulation where the fiber diameter is sub micrometer (mu m). Electrospinning process was used to produce flexible nanofibers. Electrospun PUR and PVDF nanofibers were embedded with silica (SiO2) aerogel. The thermal properties of the samples were evaluated and statistically analyzed. The microscopic examination confirmed the presence of aerogel particles. The results showed enhancement of thermal insulation by increasing the number and the weight per unit area of both nanofibrous layers. The results confirmed that embedding silica aerogel in nanofibrous layers leads to increased thermal insulation. From the research of nanofibers embedded with aerogel, it could be concluded that nanofibers can provide efficient thermal insulation. 

Li, Y; Xu, WL; 

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10th Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Symposium (TBIS 2017) 

Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA