A novel porous La2Zr2O7 ceramic aerogels with ultralow thermal conductivity and photocatalytic property

Abstract

AbstractPorous La2Zr2O7 ceramic aerogels (CAs) were prepared by sol‐gel template method and thermal treated process. The microstructure and crystallisation behavior of the samples were systematically characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicated that the as‐prepared porous La2Zr2O7 CAs had a single‐phase pyrochlore structure with typical three‐dimensional (3‐D) porous structure. Meanwhile, the formation mechanisms of the as‐prepared porous La2Zr2O7 CAs were investigated. At the same time, the as‐prepared porous La2Zr2O7 CAs presented an ultralow room‐temperature thermal conductivity of 0.07 W/(m K), high specific surface areas of 325.17 m2/g, and a relatively high compressive strength of 11.95 MPa. What's more, the as‐prepared porous La2Zr2O7 CAs possessed ideal photocatalytic activities due to its high crystallinity, large surface area as well as unique 3‐D porous structure. Therefore, the present work is proposing some new insight to prepare rare‐earth zirconates CAs with porous structures for thermal insulation and dye degradation applications.