POS3-0473
Architected Biopolymer Nanosheets as Building Blocks for Ultralight Aerogels
When and Where
Nov 30, -0001
12:00am - 12:00am
Presenter(s)
Byeunggon Kim (North Carolina State University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Aerogels are promising porous materials for thermal insulation, adsorption, and separation due to their high surface area and low density. However, the fabrication of ultralight aerogels often requires complex processing methods and specialized materials. Here, we present a scalable strategy for constructing aerogels from architected polymer nanosheets (NSs) produced through a shear-driven phase separation process developed in our group. This approach transforms hydrophobic polymers into ultrathin, high-aspect-ratio NSs that serve as structural building blocks for porous networks. When dispersed in water, the NSs assemble at air-water interfaces and stabilize Pickering foams through interconnected networks of crumpled sheets. Subsequent drying preserves foam architecture, yielding aerogels with highly porous structures. By varying the polymer composition and drying conditions, the density and morphology of the aerogels can be tailored over a broad range. The NSs-based hierarchical architecture provides structural stability while maintaining extremely low solid content, enabling the formation of ultralight materials. This research establishes a versatile platform for aerogel fabrication based on morphology-engineered NS building blocks. Further, graphical network theory analysis will be employed to characterize the hierarchical networks and establish quantitative structure–property relationships. Graph-based descriptors, including connectivity, node degree distribution, and transport pathways, will be used to correlate and predict the mechanical and thermal performance of the aerogels. This approach provides a data-driven framework for understanding and designing novel architected porous materials
