The Past and Present of Aerogels and Aerogel Fibers

With the rapid progress of China’s aerospace technology, aerogel has been initially recognized by the public.
As the “king of thermal insulation” in the field of materials, aerogel has made great contributions to China’s dream of flying into space. It can be said to be a meritorious material and a pearl in the industry.
For a time, many players emerged, vying with each other to capture this pearl and turn it into civilian use, especially in the textile industry.
Many characteristics of aerogel can be said to be a perfect fit for the textile industry. However, there are difficulties in the application of aerogel in the textile industry.
First, there are the “two highs”:
High preparation cost. Combining aerogel with textiles requires a brand-new process preparation flow. It requires a large amount of investment to go from the laboratory stage to the mature process stage, and also requires specialized equipment.
High technical threshold. When combining aerogel with conventional fabrics or reinforcing materials, due to the large differences in their physical and chemical properties, problems such as weak bonding and poor interfacial compatibility may occur, affecting the overall performance of the textiles.
The biggest challenge is the poor mechanical properties of aerogel.
Aerogel has the characteristics of high porosity and low density, which makes its own mechanical strength low and its texture brittle. It is prone to breakage and powdering when subjected to external forces.
When applied to textiles, it may cause the aerogel coating or filling in the textiles to be easily damaged during wearing, washing, or use, affecting the durability of its thermal insulation and other properties.
Currently, there are some aerogel down jackets on the market. Most of them use aerogel coating on the surface of the fabric, and the aerogel content is relatively low, generally around 1.5%. The thermal insulation effect is not obvious, and there are problems with durability.
Qingfeng Chemical Fiber began to invest in the research and development of aerogel fibers in 2017. After seven years of hard work, it successfully created a unique new method for completely compounding aerogel with polyester carriers. Through the Jingpei Yun 3.0 system, it further enables the complete and uniform mixing of aerogel and basic carrier materials, significantly improving durability. Moreover, the aerogel content reaches more than 3%, and the thermal insulation effect can basically replace down.
At present, the aerogel fiber technology of Qingfeng Chemical Fiber has been completely mature, with more than 30 patents for protection, and it is still making further efforts to iterate.
In 2025, Qingfeng Chemical Fiber will focus on vigorously promoting this leading product of aerogel fibers, so that the public can experience the unique charm of this aerospace-grade black technology as soon as possible.