As a leading silica aerogel manufacturer in China since , we get new inquiries about aerogel every day. People all around the world are curious about the amazing properties of aerogel. Therefore, we are happy to share the basic knowledge below to help you get the right insight into this wonderful material.
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Answer: Aerogel is a general and collective term for a diverse class of nanoporous structured solid materials, including silica aerogel, which is currently the most widely applied. Most of the time, when we talk about ‘aerogel’, we mean Silica(SiO2) Aerogel.
The 3D network structure of aerogel is composed of nano-size particles, and filled with air or other gases. A typical type of aerogel contains 95-99% air in volume. They are the lowest-density solid materials that have been produced in the world.
Currently, there are more than 30 kinds of materials that can be processed into aerogel structures, but the most commonly seen is Silica(SiO2) Aerogel.
Check this video below to learn more about aerogel.
Answer: No, aerogel is not sticky or adhesive at all. It is a dry and solid material called ‘solid smoke’ or ‘blue smoke’.
So why do people call this dry and solid material ‘GEL’? Well, because after the supercritical drying process in aerogel production, the original ‘GEL’ becomes dry and solid, and the finished product is what we call AEROGEL.
Answer: No, aerogel is non-toxic and has been proven to be safe for human health. Just it can cause dryness and short-term irritation to human body.
As the most commonly applied aerogel is Silica (SiO2) Aerogel, most of the time, when we talk about ‘Aerogel’, we normally mean Silica (SiO2) Aerogel. Silica aerogel is composed of air and silica(SiO2), no more others. It is 100% inorganic and non-toxic, and has been proven to be safe for human health.
The only thing you need to worry about when handling aerogel is the short-term irritation that aerogel powder(dust) may cause to human body.
Silica aerogel is hydrophobic and may cause dryness and short-term irritation irritation to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Therefore, when handling aerogel, it is recommended to wear respiratory masks, gloves, long-sleeved clothes, safety glasses and even chemical goggles for greater protection. It is also recommended to rinse your body thoroughly after handling aerogel. Single-use overalls are recommended to minimize skin contact.
Click here to contact us and get the MSDS document of our silica aerogel material
Answer: Because aerogel breaks 15 Guinness World Records for its magical properties, like the lowest thermal conductivity, the lowest density, etc., and people are still studying about different properties of different aerogels. Now more and more people come to realize the super insulation performance of aerogel and choose aerogel insulation as a better thermal insulation solution.
Click this blog here to learn more about the magical properties of aerogel
Answer: When we talk about ‘Aerogel Material’, normally we mean silica aerogel composite materials like flexible aerogel blankets, rigid aerogel panels, encapsulated aerogel thermal barriers, etc., as well as pure silica aerogel powder/particle.
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Answer: Aerogel insulation blanket is a type of aerogel composite material.
When aerogel composited with fiberglass blanket or ceramic fiber blanket, the material shows good mechanical performance and extremely low thermal conductivity, which is better than pure aerogel alone or fiberglass/ceramic fiber blanket alone.
Click here to learn more about our aerogel insulation blanket.
Answer: Because 100% pure aerogel is too brittle to be used. It has to be composited with base materials of good mechanical performance such as fiberglass blanket, ceramic fiber blanket, etc.
Check the video below to have a general idea about our silica aerogel composite materials.
Answer: Because silica aerogel features the lowest thermal conductivity. Silica aerogel contains 95% ~ 97% of air, which is trapped in the convoluted matrix of silica. So aerogel can effectively insulate heat against the Three Basic heat flow mechanisms: heat conduction, heat radiation, and heat convection.
Heat Insulation against Heat Conduction
The porous and convoluted nano-structure of aerogels creates extremely long heat transfer path, resulting in high thermal resistance in heat conduction.
Heat Insulation against Heat Radiation
The vast number of nano cells form gas-solid interfaces that prevent heat radiation by reflection, adsorption, transmission, and re-radiation.
Heat Insulation against Heat Convection
The pore size of aerogel is smaller than 70nm in diameter which restricts motion of gas molecules. Therefore, effectively preventing heat transfer through gas convection
Answer: Absolutely, yes. Since decades ago, mass production technology of silica(SiO2) aerogel has been mature enough for civilian uses.
The most widely applied property is silica aerogel’s lowest thermal conductivity.
In , our factory Namate created a unique production technique and successfully realized cost-effective industrialization of high-quality silica aerogel and aerogel composites. This unique production technique solved the long-lasting severe dust-drop problem of silica aerogel composites and enhanced the thermal insulation performance to a new level.
Now silica aerogel materials have been widely applied in various civilian sectors like oil&gas, pulp&paper, power generation, building construction, e-vehicles, lightweight and high-performance thermal clothing and equipment, etc.
Check the video below to have a general idea about our factory.
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Answer: Yes, aerogel materials have become much cheaper than 10 years ago. They are expensive because of the high-cost and complicated production process.
For example, in China, aerogel price today is only half that 10 years ago. However, aerogel materials are still much more expensive than conventional thermal insulation materials like rockwool, fiberglass, PU foam, etc. The key reason lies in the high-cost and complicated production process of aerogel.
Generally, there are two steps to make high-quality aerogel:
Step 1. Sol-Gel, and Step 2. Supercritical Drying.
As for the first step, to get a perfect Gel from the Sol, high quality raw materials and highly sophisticated technical operators are essential while the both are quite costly.
As for the second step, the Supercritical Drying process requires high temperature and high pressure during the interaction. The initial investment of such specially designed reactors and the related equipment and devices is very costly. What’s more, to eliminate fluid from the Gel while causing no shrinkage, each small adjustment matters a lot, so it requires very strict and cautious operation. Currently, all around the world, only a few sophisticated and expert-level operators can successfully and consistently handle such delicate operations during daily aerogel mass production.
Check this video below to learn about how aerogel is made
Answer: Thermal insulation and fire prevention in industrial pipelines and equipment, building construction, energy storage, e-vehicle battery thermal management, etc.
With so many magical properties, aerogel can be widely applied in various industries for the purposes of thermal insulation, fire protection, acoustic insulation, environment protection, biomedical engineering, etc. Scientists are still doing researches on aerogel’s different properties, and currently, aerogel materials are mainly and widely applied in the fields below:
With a working temperature range from -200℃to ℃, aerogel materials are widely applied in various heavy industries.
1. Industrial Insulation Applications:
1.1 High-temperature Industrial Applications (≤650℃)
1.2 Cryogenic Industrial Applications
1.3 Super-high-temperature Industrial Applications(≥ ℃)
2. Building Construction Applications
3. Energy Storage
4. E-vehicle Battery Thermal Management Applications
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Answer: Flexible aerogel blanket, rigid aerogel panel, and silica aerogel powder/particles.
12.1 Flexible Aerogel Blanket
12.2 Rigid Aerogel Panel
12.3 Silica Aerogel Powder/Particles
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Answer:
Advantages of aerogel materials:
Disadvantages of aerogel materials:
Answer: Thermal conductivity, working temperature range, dust-drop rate, hydrophobicity, burning characteristics, density, flexibility/stiffness, etc.
Thermal conductivity
Low thermal conductivity is the most important reason why people choose areogel materials. Most silica aerogel material thermal conductivity is now around 0.020 at 25℃. While some high-quality aerogel material can even reach ≤0.015 at 25℃. When applied in high-temperature scenarios, aerogel thermal conductivities at different temperatures are considered as the most important.
Working temperature range
There are different aerogel materials for different working temperature ranges. The most popular one is for the working temperature range up to 650℃(Click here to check details about our ThermFelt HT650 series). There is also aerogel material specially designed for cryogenic insulation, which can withstand a temperature range -200℃ to +500℃(Click here to check details about our CryoFelt LD). Another special aerogel material is meant for super-high-temperature applications above ℃(Click here to check details about our ThermFelt SHT series)
Dust-drop Rate
Another important performance people care about is the dust-drop rate of aerogel material. Now all the silica aerogel composite materials are faced with the aerogel-dust-drop problem. Because after the super-critical drying process, there is inevitably some aerogel dust residue on the surface. Aerogel dust can cause dryness and irritation problems to human skin and make the working environment unclean. Fortunately, years ago, we successfully developed the low-dust-drop version aerogel insulation material, and after years of development, now the dust-drop rate has been proven to be the lowest among all the aerogel brands in the world. Click here to know more about our low-dust-drop aerogel materials
Hydrophobicity
Generally, for working temperatures below 200℃, normal aerogel materials(qualified aerogel materials, not defective or fake ones) can remain hydrophobic. When the temperature goes up to 300℃ or even above, only the ASTM standard aerogel materials can remain hydrophobic.
Burning characteristics
Qualified aerogel materials must be tested as non-flammable and non-smoke when burning or heating. Check our ASTM testing report
Density
Density is another specification to care about. Most aerogel material density is between 150 to 200kg/m3. If with the same base material, the lower density, the higher aerogel percentage, which means the better aerogel material.
Flexibility/stiffness
Flexibility/stiffness is another performance to care about. Application scenarios like small-size pipeline thermal insulation normally require ultra-flexible aerogel material for easy installation. Many high-temperature equipment insulation scenarios require higher stiffness for better mechanical strength.
Answer:
Thermal conductivity is the property of the aerogel material type itself, and has nothing to do with insulation thickness;
With the same aerogel material type(the same thermal conductivity), the thicker insulation thickness, the better thermal insulation effect;
How are aerogels made?
The first step in making aerogels is mixing together chemicals in a mold, which quickly forms into an almost Jell-O-like consistency (it has already formed into the aerogel nanostructure, but it is saturated with solvent; it’s wet). It is then rinsed to remove any impurities. The final step is drying it in a specially designed oven called a critical point dryer. The solid sheet of aerogel that emerges from the dryer is used to create a coated glass product that is fabricated into an aerogel-insulated window.
Is it a gel or a liquid?
This can be confusing. When we finish making our aerogel, it’s a solid and clear sheet you can hold in your hands. The name “aerogel” refers to the material’s gel state before drying into a super-light and transparent sheet.
Can you spray it directly onto glass?
No, the AeroShield process produces sheets of the material that we bond to glass, creating an aerogel-coated glass product that is far more insulating than standard and Low-E glass.
What certifications or testing has it passed?
AeroShield material has passed many of the required tests for NFRC certification, and we are working with our partners to design final product specifications so our product becomes fully certified and eligible for ENERGY STAR tax credits.
At what stage of development is the technology today?
AeroShield is actively scaling up sizes and production capacity and is completing product design and certification towards the goal of a launch of our first product.
Is there anything other than windows that your material can be used for?
Besides residential and commercial windows, we look at a wide range of potential uses where transparency, thermal insulation, and light weight are important. Skylights, entry and patio doors, grocery store freezer doors, planes, trains, cars, and more can all benefit from our material.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Aerogel Coating Manufacturer .