Preparation and Properties of Polystyrene/Silica Fibres Flexible Thermal Insulation Materials by Centrifugal Spinning

Abstract Centrifugal spinning has recently attracted attention as a safer and more efficient method for preparing polymer micro- and nano-fibres. Our research demonstrates the successful preparation of polystyrene (PS) flexible thermal insulation materials by innovatively spinning PS into fibres. The morphology and size of the fibres were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The average diameter of PS fibres decreased from 3.76 μm to 1.31 μm after the addition of nano-SiO2. The hydrophobicity and contact angle of PS/SiO2 composite fibres with water was measured by video water contact angle measuring instrument to be 141 degrees. The results demonstrated that the PS/SiO2 composite fibres were completely stable at or below 300 °C and had a moisture content less than 0.26%. Based on the properties of the fibres, PS/SiO2 composite fibres have the potential to become a new type of building insulation materials.