Tetrapanax papyriferus lignocellulosic skeleton aerogel enhanced with polyvinyl alcohol of high mechanical performance and thermal insulating.

Biodegradable and renewable biomass aerogel has attracted significant attention because of its excellent characteristics. However, most aerogels were limited by poor mechanical strength and complex fabrication process. Herein, two delignified Tetrapanax papyriferus (TP) lignocellulosic samples (TP-SC, TP-FA/HAC) served as renewable porous skeletons with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) modification to prepare high performance aerogels. The excellent pore structure facilitates the penetration of polyvinyl alcohol, which enhances the mechanical property and thermal stability of the resulting aerogel. The SC-8 h exhibited excellent mechanical strength with a bending stress of 102.9 MPa, 26.7 % increase in strain and 2.5 % in bending modulus compared to the TP-SC. The maximum thermal decomposition temperature of the FA/HAC-4 h was 358.6 °C, which was showed an outstanding thermal stability of the aerogel. Furthermore, these aerogels exhibited thermal insulating properties, and the maximum surface heating temperature after impregnation modification is lower than that of the original wood. This performance has a development prospect in the field of thermal insulation packaging and building structural materials. The high strength lignocellulosic skeleton aerogel could be prepared by a simple and effective strategy that preserved the original distinctive structure, offering a novel approach to the efficient utilization of TP.