Aerogels are nanostructured materials that are currently the lightest material in the
Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech
world. The primary application for aerogel is thermal insulation. Due to the nano sized pores in the material, gas phase heat conduction is poor resulting in low thermal conductivity.
Configurations
Aerogels are commonly made of silica, along with polymer reinforcement. Though silica-based aerogels are the extremely light and have very good thermal properties, the material is generally very fragile. The use of polymer reinforcement allows the material to become stronger with more flexible while still providing superior thermal insulation. Aerogels are available in various shapes and sizes including bar, blanket, block, cylinder, disk, film, panel/tile, particle, powder, rod, sheet, or sphere.
Specifications
The follow specifications determine the functionality of an aerogel.
Density: The density of the material. Aerogel is the one of the least dense material known.
Pore Size: The pore size of the material. Aerogels have nanostructures and the pore sizes are in the nanometer size.
Surface Area: The surface area of the form the aerogel.
Thermal Conductivity: The thermal conductivity or the products ability for heat to transfer through the material.
Operating Temperature: The operating temperature range the product is capable to functioning without degradation due to temperature changes.
