A carbon nanotube approach for efficient thermally insulating material with high mechanical stability and fire-retardancy

For applications in energy-saving buildings, aerospace industry, and wearable electronic devices, thermally insulating materials (TIMs) are required to possess not only low thermal conductivity but also light weight, mechanical robustness, and environmental stability. However, conventional TIMs can rarely meet these requirements. To overcome this shortcoming, we propose a new strategy for preparing TIMs. This is based on the design of a highly porous structure from carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNT structure is constructed by continuous winding of a hollow cylindrical CNT assembly from a high-temperature furnace and subsequent modification by the deposition of amorphous carbon (AC). The resultant sponge-like material is shown to have a record-low density of 2–4 mg cm(−3) and a record-low thermal conductivity of 10–14 mW m(−1) K(−1). Combined with this thermal property, the sponge material also possesses fire-retardancy during burning, mechanical robustness after repeated loading and unloading to a high strain of 90%, and environmental stability from 535 to −196 °C. Such a combination of physical and mechanical properties results from the strengthening of the porous structure by virtue of AC deposition on CNT surfaces and junctions. The high performance of the new TIM constitutes the foundation for it to be used in wide areas, especially under the harsh conditions requiring multifunctionality.