Large-Area Direct Production of White Light-Emitting Meta-Aerogel with Efficient Two-Step Energy Transfer and High Thermal Insulation for Wearable Textiles in Extreme Environment

Abstract

Fluorescent aerogels have attracted enormous attention for their optically tunable and strong emission features; however, integration of white light emission with robust stretchability remains a challenging task. Herein, a facile strategy was proposed to directly synthesize an ultralight, hyperelastic, and superflexible fluorescent aerogel via humidity-induced three-dimensional electrospinning. By manipulating the rapid phase separation of jets containing fluorescent molecules, a large-area (1.2 m × 0.4 m) fluorescent aerogel was developed using crimped aerogel fibers. The hierarchical porous structure effectively inhibited excessive energy transfer between the donor and acceptor, resulting in stable white light emission (0.318, 0.347). Benefiting from the soft–rigid design of fiber compositions and interlocked networks between crimped fibers, the aerogel exhibited exceptional mechanical robustness with tensile up to 4000 times its weight, fatigue resistance of 100000 compression cycles, fast recovery speed of 435 mm s⁻¹, 180° bending, and wide-angle twisting. Furthermore, high porosity (99.7%) originated from aerogel fibers, and fiber networks endowed aerogel with ultralight density (2.9 mg cm⁻³) and low thermal conductivity (23.8 mW m⁻¹ K⁻¹). The aerogel is also self-cleaning, breathable, and flame-retardant, making it suitable for applications in extreme environments. This study may pave the way for developing versatile fluorescent aerogels for wearable textiles, flexible displays, and information encryption.

Graphic Abstract

Keywords

Electrospinning / Meta-aerogels / Superflexibility / White light emitting / Thermal insulation

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(U24A2073)

Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology(24xtcx00300)

Shanghai Rising-Star Program(24YF2700500)

Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China(2024M760420)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Donghua University, Shanghai, China