@article{Li2026, 
author = {Huikang Li and Weilin Liao and Bingcheng Li and Xiaosen Su and Ke Zhang and Fei Fang and Xudong Huang},
title = {Cactus-inspired freeze-printed SiO2/ZrO2 aerogels with programmable configuration for extreme thermal insulation},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research},
volume = {19},
number = {9},
pages = {94908587},
keywords = {three-dimensional (3D) printing, direct ink writing, biomimetic design, silica aerogels, thermal insulation},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NR.2026.94908587},
doi = {10.26599/NR.2026.94908587},
abstract = {Aerogels have attracted extensive attention due to their remarkable properties, such as lightweight and low thermal conductivity. However, it remains challenging to simultaneously achieve high temperature insulation (> 1000 °C) and improve mechanical performance. Herein, we report a cactus-inspired spiral structure preparation strategy via freezing-assisted direct ink writing (DIW). By synergistically controlling the rotation angle (θ) and printing spacing (x), we fabricate SiO2/ZrO2 aerogels with programmable macroscopic spiral architectures. The SiO2/ZrO2 aerogels with θ = 40° and x = 1.3 mm exhibit excellent thermal insulation (30.2 mW·m−1·K−1). However, the compressive strength is only 159.3 kPa at 24.2% fracture strain. To enhance the mechanical performance without compromising thermal insulation, an arctangent-topological DIW strategy is proposed, which employs the arctangent function αn = arctan(1/n) to fabricate aerogels with four-fold rotational symmetry. When αn = 26.6° (n = 2), the SiO2/ZrO2 aerogels exhibit a favorable thermal insulation performance (33.9 mW·m−1·K−1) while achieving a significant enhancement in compressive strength (341.7 kPa at 24.6% fracture strain). Application of SiO2/ZrO2 aerogels for thermal insulation of electronic chips and flame nozzles are demonstrated. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the SiO2/ZrO2 aerogels for high temperature applications. This study offers a strategy for developing of high-temperature aerogels with combined good thermal insulation and mechanical properties.}
}