Inspired by the polar bears Tongji hair structure to build a new nanotube silica airgel

Recently, Tongji University Physics and Engineering Task Force nanoporous material through the membrane pore structure mimic polar bear hair, chemical vapor deposition and calcination process, obtained a novel silica airgel nanotubes (Silica Nanotube Aerogel, SNTA) material. The material has excellent thermal insulation properties and far infrared blocking ability, may be provided over the greenhouse effect; excellent mechanical properties, even thickness can be processed to be in a sleeve 500 microns. Even more interesting is that the nano-fine tubular structure Rayleigh scattering is enhanced, so that a high transmittance of visible and near-infrared and ultraviolet transmittance is low, light efficiency can be balanced, the collector and UV protection, is extremely suitable for high latitudes or space applications. In contrast, the size of polar bear hair structure is much larger, its optical properties SNTA the contrary, through the ultraviolet and visible and near infrared reflection, is not conducive to human use. This is in fact the work of the research group Research windfall when the high temperature oxygen atmosphere infrared barrier, and ultimately to \”Multifunctional Silica Nanotube Aerogels Inspired by Polar Bear Hair for Light Management and Thermal Insulation\” was published in the internationally renowned journal \”Chemistry of the materials \”, put forward a new plan for the design of new structures and properties of airgel material, it is important for ultra-light materials, insulation, aerospace and civilian fields. corresponding author of the paper and co-first author is an associate professor of Tongji University School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Douai, which he proposed the idea and designed the experiments, first author of Master Wang Hongjiang carry out experiments, and co-authored papers with Douai , one of the authors doctoral student Wu Xueling-based reports with maps, Zhou Bin, Zhang Zhihua, Shen Jun and other teachers and some graduate students also participated in the work, which lasted more than a year to complete. The work by the National Natural Science Foundation to support the important R & D program \”nanotechnology\” and a special focus on the Shanghai Special Artificial Microstructure Materials and Technology Laboratory of the open projects.