Novel high‐temperature‐resistant Y2SiO5 aerogel with ultralow thermal conductivity

Abstract

AbstractA novel Y2SiO5 ternary aerogel was prepared from tetraethoxysilane and yttrium chloride hexahydrate via the sol‐gel method followed by high‐temperature calcination. The effects of different calcination temperatures on the microstructure, mechanical and thermal stability of the Y2SiO5 aerogels were investigated. The aerogels exhibited low densities of 0.33‐0.62 g/cm3, low thermal conductivities of 0.029‐0.05 W/(m·K), and a relatively high strength of 0.16‐56.47 MPa. Moreover, compared with the Al2O3–SiO2 aerogel, the Y2SiO5 aerogel has higher thermal stability and more excellent high‐temperature insulation, which has potential applications as a thermal protection material in hypersonic vehicles.