Aerogel-based thermal superinsulation: an overview

Abstract

International audienceThis review is focused on describing the intimate link which exists between aerogels and thermal superinsulation. For long, this applied field has been considered as the most promising potential market for these nanomaterials. Today, there are several indicators suggesting that this old vision is likely to become reality in the near future. Based on recent developments in the field, we are confident that aerogels still offer the greatest potential for non-evacuated superinsulation systems and consequently must be considered as an amazing opportunity for sustainable development. The practical realization of such products however is time-consuming and a significant amount of R&D activities are still necessary to yield improved aerogel-based insulation products for mass markets

Fractal-like structures in colloid science

“…A well-known strategy in this sense involves silica aerogels, whose very low conductivity (0.012-0.020 W/m/K) is strictly connected to their high porosity (N 90%) (corresponding to a low d f ), low density (80-200 kg/m 3 ), pore structure and small pore size, allowing them to be employed as superinsulators [93].…”

Aerogel insulation materials for industrial installation: properties and structure of new factory-made products

“…For building applications, the main products are: expanded polystyrene (EPS) [1] and mineral wool [2,3], which exist next to other products such as polyurethane/polyisocyanurate (PUR/PIR) [4,5], phenolic foams [6,7] or thermal insulation composites such as vacuum insulation panels [8][9][10]. The application of aerogel products is not very common due to the limited commercial products currently available, and the costs of such applications in comparison to the most popular thermal insulation materials [11][12][13].…”

Energy in buildings—Policy, materials and solutions

“…This is why we need insulating materials that offer superior thermal performance, i.e., superinsulation materials with a thermal conductivity <0.020 W/(m K). 77 Note that there exists an old definition of superinsulation corresponding to thick, conventional insulation (resulting in a low total U-value and high R-value), but in this article, we shall adhere to the modern, thermal conductivity-based definition.…”

“…Fumed silica, aerogel, and VIP are known and established niche products in the building and construction industry, but their market share is below 1% of the total market. 77 In Europe, aerogel insulation sales for building applications are estimated to lie within the 25-30M US$ range for 2016. For the same year, the global aerogel market is roughly 250M US$, which is on the order of 0.5% of global insulation markets which are estimated at 45B US$.…”