Facile preparation of graphene aerogel as a thermal insulation material

Abstract

A simple low temperature and cost-effective hydrothermal method via reduction self-assembly and freeze-drying was fabricated to prepare graphene aerogel (rGO). After the reduction process, most of the oxygen-containing groups in graphene oxide have been removed by ascorbic acid. The surface C/O atomic ratio detected in rGO is about 7.26. The aerogel presents a nanoporous structure. This porous structure could act as a barrier to heat conduction. By heating the graphene aerogel and using infrared thermal imager to detect the temperature, the temperature difference between the top and the bottom of the aerogel reached 80 °C, which showed excellent thermal insulation performance. In addition, by testing the thermal imaging image of graphene aerogel placed on the skin surface, it exhibited an infrared stealth effect. This carbon aerogel may offer potential for the fabrication and application for thermal insulation and infrared stealth material systems.