Fabrication of highly elastic ceramic nanofiber aerogels via micro-scale structural regulation

Ceramic aerogels, with their high porosity and strong structural tunability, find extensive applications across various fields in human society. However, constrained by the inherent brittleness of ceramic materials, ceramic aerogels are prone to catastrophic failures in practical applications due to irreversible structural deformation, limiting their potential for broader implementation. Ceramic aerogels fabricated using fibers as building blocks can exhibit some elasticity through significant bending deformation. However, limitations in current ceramic fiber aerogels’ elasticity stem from issues inherent to fiber fabrication processes, including morphology, micro-defects, and abnormal grain growth. Therefore, we have explored a universal strategy for constructing highly elastic ceramic aerogels from the perspective of microstructural design, providing a novel perspective for the preparation of advanced ceramic aerogels.