Bioinspired Dry-Steam Superinsulation Straw Foam

Cellulosic materials offer sustainable advantages for building energy conservation. However, their development has been hindered by reduced thermal performance, often caused by structural collapse during the transition from solution to solid. Inspired by natural goose down, a bio-based, lightweight insulation foam derived from agricultural waste straw is presented. Through in situ synthesis, bio-silica fibers with branched structures capable of supporting hollow silica microspheres are fabricated. After steam-mediated processing, the resulting foam exhibit low density (95 mg cm⁻³), high porosity (95.5%), low thermal conductivity (0.03 ± 0.003 W mK⁻¹), and a cyclic compressive strength of 90 kPa at 50% strain. Owing to the synergistic microstructure formed by branched bio-fibers and hollow silica spheres, the bio-silica foam exhibit outstanding thermal insulation performance relative to other bio-based foams prepared by ambient drying. A passivated insulation panel is further developed by incorporating this material as the core component, achieving a thermal conductivity of 0.0275 W mk⁻¹ and flexural strength of 6.85 MPa. The panel demonstrated durability with stable thermal performance throughout a 60-day outdoor test. Moreover, the bio-silica foam shows a carbon footprint of 7.50 kgCO₂ kg⁻¹ at 70.2 wt.% silica, highlighting its promise as a sustainable insulation solution for green buildings.