Characterization and thermal conductivity of cellulose based composite xerogels

Abstract This article is based on the elaboration of different combinations of cellulose based xerogel, derived from orange trees, while incorporating mineral and organic fillers such as cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) or olive pomace for a potential use in the field of thermal insulation. The main objective of this study is the creation of an insulating material with developed thermal properties and low thermal conductivity λ by referring to the evaporation technic, while using the technic of the hot plate evolving in a non-stationary regime, which allow developing a simple and inexpensive method with fillers (organic and inorganic) leading to xerogels with higher thermal properties. In addition, a characterization system incorporated in analytical technics such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or optical microscope can highlight the morphological and structural properties, which allow showing a certain alliance between the morphological and geometrical characteristics of the fillers and the control of physical, thermal properties of the xerogels.