Preparation and Performance of Polyimide-Reinforced Clay Aerogel Composites

Low-density polyimide (PI)/clay aerogel composites were produced by freeze-drying of a poly(amic acid) ammonium salt/clay precursor suspension, followed by a multistep temperature-programmed imidization. The densities of the resulting aerogel composites were in the range of 0.04–0.09 g·cm –3 . With the increase of PI content, a more perfect “layer–strut” bracing structure was exhibited in the composites, which resulted in vastly improved mechanical properties. Polyimide did not intercalate the interlayer of clay, and the onset decomposition temperatures ( T d ) of the aerogels were more than 410 °C. The obtained PI/clay aerogel composites show considerable promise in structural and high-temperature insulation applications.