Nanoporous/nanofibrous dual-aerogel ultraflexible ceramic coatings for fire superprotection

Abstract Advanced fire protection for infrastructures and facilities requires fireproof coatings that can possess high fire resistance, thermal insulation, flexibility, and durability. Conventional coatings are usually developed by composing inorganic fillers and organic binders, still suffering from limited fireproof effect, severe fracture, and short working life. Here, we report a dual-aerogel design of robust aluminosilicate ceramic coating with natural-dried nanoporous aerogel for thermal insulation and electro-spun nanofibrous aerogel for flexible deformation. The resulting coating, with a thickness of only 3 mm, exhibits a fire superprotection performance with fire resistance up to 1400 °C, thermal conductivity of only 103.55 mW·m −1 ·K −1 at 1000 °C, hydrophobicity of contact angle up to 154°, and ultraflexibility of a 90° bending angle with 10,000 times of fatigue resistance. This unique dual-aerogel design can well resolve the formidable thermal–mechanical trade-off in fireproof coatings and establish a set of fundamental considerations in material design for fire superprotection.