Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide

Hu, Congyan; Chen, Lei; Lei, Zixuan; Li, Yafei; Wang, Liwei; Yang, Yiming; Zhao, Tong; Li, Hao

doi:10.3390/gels12010034

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Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide

by

Congyan Hu

^1,2,

Lei Chen

^1,2,

Zixuan Lei

^1,3,

Yafei Li

^1,2,

Liwei Wang

^1,2,

Yiming Yang

^1,2,*

,

Tong Zhao

^1,2 and

Hao Li

^1,2,*

¹

Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on High-Tech Polymer Materials, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China

²

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

³

Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Beijing 100084, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Gels 2026, 12(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010034 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 21 November 2025 / Revised: 20 December 2025 / Accepted: 26 December 2025 / Published: 30 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerogels and Composites Aerogels)

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Abstract

Phenolic aerogels offer low thermal conductivity, excellent thermal stability, and high char yield, but they suffer from intrinsic brittleness, low compressive modulus, and limited compressive strain. To overcome these limitations, phenolic aerogels modified with graphene oxide were synthesized and their structural, mechanical, and thermal insulation properties were evaluated. The GO fillers were uniformly dispersed in the phenolic matrix without disrupting its porous structure. Mechanical testing revealed that the modified aerogel achieved a compressive modulus of 265.52 MPa, representing a 67% increase over the pure phenolic aerogel’s value of 158.49 MPa, and a compressive strength of 40.19 MPa, compared to 6.18 MPa, for the pure sample. At the same time, the composite maintained good thermal insulation performance, with a thermal conductivity of 0.063 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹. This work demonstrates a feasible approach to tailoring the structure–property relationship of phenolic aerogels via GO modification, supporting their potential use in high-temperature insulation and lightweight structural applications.

Keywords: phenolic aerogels; graphene oxide; finite-element analysis; mechanical properties; thermal insulation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Hu, C.; Chen, L.; Lei, Z.; Li, Y.; Wang, L.; Yang, Y.; Zhao, T.; Li, H. Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide. Gels 2026, 12, 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010034

AMA Style

Hu C, Chen L, Lei Z, Li Y, Wang L, Yang Y, Zhao T, Li H. Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide. Gels. 2026; 12(1):34. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010034

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hu, Congyan, Lei Chen, Zixuan Lei, Yafei Li, Liwei Wang, Yiming Yang, Tong Zhao, and Hao Li. 2026. "Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide" Gels 12, no. 1: 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010034

APA Style

Hu, C., Chen, L., Lei, Z., Li, Y., Wang, L., Yang, Y., Zhao, T., & Li, H. (2026). Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide. Gels, 12(1), 34. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010034

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Tailoring the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Phenolic Aerogels with Graphene Oxide

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