Insulating airgel

Airgel is a material with exceptional characteristics that was used until recently for aerospace and extreme applications only because of its high cost.

The material was invented already in the 1930 but only now it is possible to produce it at an acceptable cost. Airgel is also a very light material, its structure is made of silica, but about 97% of its volume consists of air.

The air trapped in its structure therefore makes it one of the best insulating materials strong> with a thermal conductivity of only 0.013 W / (m²K).

Polystyrene, nowadays widely used for thermal coats, has a far higher thermal conductivity of 0.034 W / (m²K).

Thermal insulation table for building insulation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Material	W / (m²K)
Aerogel panels	0.013 - 0.015
Extruded polystyrene XPS	0.028 - 0.036
Glass wool panels	0.031 - 0.048
Rock wool panels	0.034 - 0.048
Wood fiber panels	0.044 - 0.065

   

Other advantages are the wide temperature range of use, ranging from -200 to +200 ° C, hydrophobia, breathability and resistance to UV rays.

It also has a noticeable performance retention over time combined with good dimensional stability.

Given its performance, the thicknesses of the panels can be very limited, simplifying the creation of internal coats.