Advantages of Gradient All-Nanostructure in Aerogel Fibers for Thermal Insulation and Mechanical Properties
Aerogel fibers are promising for personal thermal management textiles, but conventional wet-spun fibers suffer from a dense skin layer that compromises the balance between thermal insulation and mechanical robustness. This highlight examines a microfluidic spinning strategy that constructs gradient all-nanostructure aramid aerogel fibers (GAFs). By employing DMSO as a sheath fluid, the process induces a hydrodynamic concentration gradient, protonation-driven sol-gel transition, and supercritical drying-mediated structural inversion, yielding a porous gradient architecture distinct from traditional skin-core aerogel fibers (SAFs). Raman mapping of the aramid I band (1610 cm⁻¹) confirms the structural difference. The GAFs exhibit optimized thermal resistance and mechanical performance, addressing the trade-off that limits conventional aerogel fibers. The referenced work (Nat Commun, 2025, 16: 2357) demonstrates a viable route to high-performance aerogel fibers for next-generation thermal management, with potential for scalable manufacturing and enhanced energy efficiency in textiles.