High-temperature resistant Y2SiO5–TiO2 aerogel composite for efficient thermal insulation

Abstract

Ternary mullite fibrous felt/opacifier/aerogel composites (MYTC) were prepared by impregnating the TiO2 opacifier/Y2SiO5 aerogels into mullite felts. The effect of the TiO2 opacifiers on the thermal insulation property of aerogel composite was investigated by adjusting the TiO2 opacifier contents from 0 to 15 wt%. The as-prepared MYTC exhibited low density of 0.195 g/cm3 and low thermal conductivity of 0.042 W/m/K. The high-temperature resistance of MYTC was tested using a self-designed thermal insulation test system. It was found that the addition of Y2SiO5 aerogels and TiO2 opacifiers significantly improved the thermal insulation performance of aerogel composites. The results demonstrated that MYTC showed more efficient heat insulation property as the back surface temperature of the MYTC was 157 °C lower than that of the mullite fiber felts as the front surface temperature of both was about 1200 °C. The as-prepared MYTC exhibited excellent high-temperature thermal insulation performance, making the materials potential application to high-temperature thermal insulation.