Fabrication and Characterization of Aramid/Aerogel Composite

Abstract

The LiCl/DMAc was used as solvent system to dissolve meta-aramid short fiber, the aramid fibrid was prepared by injecting the aramid solution into the high shearing coagulant at room temperature and the mixture of water and N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) was used as coagulant. The aramid fibrid and aramid short fiber were mixed at differents weight proportion, wet paper was dried and aramid paper was prepared by heat pressing. The aramid paper has excellent mechanical properties when the weight proportion of the aramid fibrid and aramid short fiber was 60:40,and it had a good thermal bonding between the fibrid and fiber under heat pressing. The hydrophobic SiO2 was mixed with aramid fibrid and aramid short fiber (60:40) in ethanol, and aramid/aerogel composite was prepared by drying and hot compressing. The composite had a good heat-resisting, however, the mechanical property decreased with the content of aerogel increasing.