Thermal insulation TiN aerogels prepared by a combined freeze-casting and carbothermal reduction-nitridation technique

With the rapid development of energy sources and aerospace engineering, high-performance thermal insulation materials with multiple functions are attracting more and more attentions. Non-oxide ceramic aerogels have application potential in thermal insulation under harsh conditions owing to their good thermal insulation performance and chemical stability. In this work, TiN aerogels were prepared by a combined freeze-casting and carbothermal reduction-nitridation method utilizing TiO2 and chitosan as raw materials, at 1473 K for 3 h, with a C/TiO2 molar ratio of 3/1. They showed a specific surface area of 167 m2/g and ultralow density of 0.07 g/cm3 (the relative density of 1.3 %). Their thermal conductivity value was only 0.166 +/- 0.0054 W/(m K at 673 K (TiO2 solid content of 5 wt%). Moreover, the prepared aerogels possessed reasonably high mechanical strength and good high-temperature service performance, suggesting that they can be used under high-temperature conditions as an insulation material.