A series of low density, highly porous clay/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite aerogels, incorporating keratin fibers derived from chicken feathers, were fabricated via a convenient and eco-friendly freeze drying method. The introduction of keratin fibers improved the mechanical performance, as well as decreased thermal conductivities, allowing these materials to have potential utility in thermal insulation. Different types of bio-fibers have been compared to confirm the unique and important role of keratin fibers; various processing conditions were applied in order to study processing/structure/property relationships in these materials. The mechanical and thermal insulation properties have been demonstrated to increase with amount of keratin fibers.

通过一种方便且环保的冷冻干燥方法，制备了一系列低密度，高孔隙度的粘土/聚乙烯醇复合气凝胶，其中掺入了源自鸡毛的角蛋白纤维。引入角蛋白纤维改善了机械性能，并降低了热导率，从而使这些材料在隔热中具有潜在的实用性。比较了不同类型的生物纤维，以确认角蛋白纤维的独特而重要的作用。为了研究这些材料中的加工/结构/特性关系，应用了各种加工条件。已经证明机械和隔热性能随角蛋白纤维的量而增加。