Preparation, Structures and Mechanical Properties of Bamboo Shoot Shell Nanofiber/Konjac Glucomannan Aerogels

With bamboo shoot shell nanofibers (BSN) and konjac glucomannan (KGM) as precursor materials, the BSN/KGM aerogels were prepared in different proportions by sol-gel method. The surface morphology, microstructure, characteristic functional groups and thermal properties of BSN/KGM aerogels were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of BSN on the structure and properties of BSN/KGM aerogels was also studied. The results showed that the BSN/KGM aerogels possessed network porous structure with compact and homogeneous porosity, high specific surface area and low density. With the increase of BSN, the sheet structure of aerogels was converted into the 3D porous network structure, which contributes significantly higher thermal stability. In addition, the BSN/KGM aerogels showed excellent mechanical properties. The maximum relative compression rate was 62%, suggesting the addition of BSN can enhance the compression properties of the BSN/KGM aerogels.