Experimental Investigations of Miscellaneous Aerogel Systems Intended for Application in Building Envelopes

Abstract

Aerogels may have a promising future as a high-performance thermal insulation material in building envelopes, where the aerogel material achieves its very low thermal conductivity from its air-filled low density silica skeleton material with a typical air concentration as high as 95-99 vol%. An unique feature of aerogels is that they may be produced as opaque, translucent and transparent materials, thus enabling a large range of applications, which hence may be utilized beneficially in different building envelopes. In this study we are presenting experimental investigations of miscellaneous aerogel systems intended for application in building envelopes. Among these ones are the synthesis of a new lightweight and more thermally insulating aerogel glass material, application of aerogel granules in translucent windows and solar walls, and fabrication of aerogel-incorporated concrete with reduced thermal conductivity. These and similar aerogel solutions, together with technologies like e.g. electrochromic materials, nano insulation materials (NIM), phase change materials and building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) among others, may hence become part of the future multi-functional building envelopes.