The aerogel has a three-dimensional network microstructure, which has special properties such as low density, low thermal conductivity, high specific surface area, and high acoustic impedance, so that it is insulated, soundproofed, hydrogen storage, The field of catalysis and other fields has a good application prospect. Below we mainly look at the application of aerogel in the field of building energy efficiency.
1 Application of aerogel in energy-saving doors and windows
As far as the typical building envelope structure is concerned, the heat lost through the doors and windows accounts for about 40% to 50% of the total heat loss of the building, and as the living environment of people increases, the area of doors and windows increases continuously, and the application of energy-saving glass It will play an important role in energy saving throughout the building. Aerogel energy-saving glass has many advantages over fax glass, laminated glass and other energy-saving glass.
2 Use of aerogels in construction pipelines
The aerogel felt has the advantages of high heat insulation and hydrophobicity, and is an ideal pipe insulation material. The aerogel felt has good flexibility and tensile strength and compressive strength, and the construction is convenient and quick. In addition, the overall hydrophobicity of the aerogel felt makes the thermal conductivity of the whole use period almost unchanged. Compared with traditional insulation materials, the aerogel insulation structure has better insulation performance than other materials. According to estimates by Aspen, the average high-temperature steam pipeline per kilometer can save $2.5 million in energy consumption in the use of 8a, and in the renovation of building heating pipeline insulation, ideally The cost of the retrofit investment can be saved in about one year.
3 Use of aerogel plates in walls and roofs
The traditional wall and roof insulation materials are divided into inorganic materials and organic materials. Compared with traditional thermal insulation materials, aerogel plates have the advantages of low thermal conductivity, low density and high flame retardancy. Its thermal conductivity is almost one-third of the extruded polystyrene board at room temperature, and it is much lower than other building insulation materials, and has high thermal insulation performance. The aerogel plate can also function as a sound absorption and noise reduction device, and the structure can effectively block noise.
4 Application of aerogel in coatings
The aerogel powder can be applied to the coating to form a thermal insulation coating with a heat preservation effect to supplement the heat preservation effect. Aerogel coatings can be applied not only to the insulation of exterior walls, but also to the insulation of building interior walls and the insulation of building roofs and the bottom of buildings. The coating was applied to the Zero Carbon Pavilion and Vanke Laboratory Building at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, indicating that the coating has outstanding energy-saving effects.
5 as a concrete additive
Aerogels can also be used to reduce the thermal conductivity of concrete by incorporating different amounts of hydrophobic or hydrophilic SiO2 aerogel powder into the concrete matrix. The thermal conductivity of the concrete block increases with the SiO2 aerogel powder content. Reduced, but the compressive strength will decrease and the shrinkage rate will increase. According to this feature, SiO2 aerogel-added concrete can be used for non-load-bearing walls and is a cement mortar used as a bonding agent. With the development of concrete auxiliaries, additives can be added to supplement the lost mechanical properties.