Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO<sub>2</sub> Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance

Meng-Qing Su; Xiao-Lin Song; Xin-Fu Zhao; Xi-Bin Yi; Si-Jia Liu; Xiao-Chan Liu; Jin-Yi Ren; Jin-Xu Zhu; Qiang Zhang; Zhen-Guang Zhang; Yan-Tao Qu

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4

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Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO₂ Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-07-01

- Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO₂ Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 7, Pages: 2385-2394(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Shandong Key Laboratory of Advanced Glass Manufacturing and Technology, Advanced Materials Institute, QiLu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China
  b.Shandong Juhe New Materials Co., Ltd., Jinan 250119, China
  c.Binzhou Kening New Materials Co., Ltd., Binzhou 256200, China
- Author bio：
  
  zhaoxinfu@sdas.org (X.F.Z.)
  yixb@qlu.edu.cn (X.B.Y.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4
  CLC：
- Received：30 December 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-02-08，
  
  Accepted：13 February 2026，
  
  Online First：12 May 2026，
  
  Published：05 July 2026
- Accepted：
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Su, M. Q.; Song, X. L.; Zhao, X. F.; Yi, X. B.; Liu, S. J.; Liu, X. C.; Ren, J. Y.; Zhu, J. X.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, Z. G.; Qu, Y. T. Scalable synthesis of flexible polyimide/ZrO₂ composite aerogels with ultra-low thermal conductivity and high-temperature resistance. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 2385–2394 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4.

Meng-Qing Su, Xiao-Lin Song, Xin-Fu Zhao, et al. Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO₂ Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(7): 2385-2394. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4.
Su, M. Q.; Song, X. L.; Zhao, X. F.; Yi, X. B.; Liu, S. J.; Liu, X. C.; Ren, J. Y.; Zhu, J. X.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, Z. G.; Qu, Y. T. Scalable synthesis of flexible polyimide/ZrO₂ composite aerogels with ultra-low thermal conductivity and high-temperature resistance. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 2385–2394 DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4. DOI：

Meng-Qing Su, Xiao-Lin Song, Xin-Fu Zhao, et al. Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO₂ Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(7): 2385-2394. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4. DOI：

摘要

An ordered dual-network PI/ZrO

aerogel was constructed

via

hydrogen and Zr―O bonds

significantly enhancing its thermal insulation

mechanical strength

and thermal stability.

Abstract

Polyimide (PI) aerogels are at the forefront of heat insulation applications. However

their relatively limited mechanical strength and thermal insulation performance constrain their broader application. This study presents an innovative strategy for preparing PI/ZrO

composite aerogels with a double-cross-linked network structure. The embedding of ZrO

nanoparticles into the PI aeroge

l matrix was enabled by the formation of hydrogen bonds and Zr―O bonds

thus leading to the creation of an ordered

layered network architecture. The introduction of ZrO

nanoparticles caused a reduction in the thermal conductivity of the PI/ZrO

composite aerogel from 0.0367 W·m

–1

·K

–1

to 0.0305 W·m

–1

·K

–1

. Meanwhile

it significantly increased the compressive strength of the PI/ZrO

composite aerogel. When the ZrO

content is 2%

the mechanical strength increases from 0.67 MPa to 1.43 MPa. At 800 °C

the residual mass of the PI/ZrO

-5% aerogel exceeded that of the PI aerogel by 2.3%. These enhancements can be attributed to the cross-linked network triggered by the ZrO

nanoparticles. Owing to its low thermal conductivity and high-temperature tolerance

ZrO

remarkably improved the thermal insulation and thermal stability of the aerogel. To assess the feasibility of industrial-scale application of the PI/ZrO

composite aerogel

a series of pilot-scale amplification experiments were conducted. These results confirm the stability and reproducibility of the synthesis process. The PI/ZrO

composite aerogel exhibited considerable potential for a wide range of applications across diverse fields.

关键词

Keywords

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⁰

Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO2 Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance

DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3627-4

摘要

Abstract

关键词

Keywords

references

Scalable Synthesis of Flexible Polyimide/ZrO₂ Composite Aerogels with Ultra-low Thermal Conductivity and High-temperature Resistance