Robust and superhydrophobic thiourethane bridged polysilsesquioxane aerogels as potential thermal insulation materials

Aerogels with low density and high porosity exhibit outstanding performances as thermal or acoustic insulators. However, most aerogels are mechanically brittle and need further chemical or physical surface treatments to obtain elasticity and superhydrophobicity. Structurally new types of polysilsesquioxane (PSQ) aerogels containing thiourethane as their bridging groups are now reported. These novel PSQ aerogels were prepared from thiourethane bridged silsesquioxane through a simple sol-gel process and vacuum-drying method. The PSQ aerogels exhibit inherent superhydrophobicity, excellent mechanical toughness and good thermal insulation properties. Moreover, the morphology and mechanical performance of these aerogels can be tailored by changing the rigidity of the bridging group. Novel thiourethane bridged polysilsesquioxane aerogels prepared by a sol-gel process and vacuum drying method exhibit extraordinary mechanical properties and low thermal conductivity.