Bioinspired Cellular Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Aerogels with Temperature-Invariant Elasticity and Fatigue Resistance for Potential Energy Dissipation

Elastic and fatigue-resistant materials with a wide service temperature range are extremely needed in the crash cushion, automobile safety, and personal protective equipment. By combining radial freeze casting with carbon welding, single-walled carbon nanotube aerogels (SWCNTAs) with cellular structures are fabricated from a facile, scalable sol–gel method. The prepared SWCNTAs show a negative Poisson’s ratio and high energy loss efficiency under the uniaxial compressive strain. Furthermore, the SWCNTAs exhibit both outstanding fatigue resistance with negligible plastic deformation even after 10 5 compressive cycles and superior elasticity ranging from −100 to 300 °C in air, making the aerogels viable candidates for energy dissipation in extreme environments.