Aerogel insulation for building applications: A state-of-the-art review

• Published in: Energy and buildings Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 761 - 769
• Main Authors: Baetens, Ruben, Jelle, Bjørn Petter, Gustavsen, Arild
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.04.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aerogel; Aerogels; Applied sciences; Architecture; Building application; Building insulation; Buildings; Buildings. Public works; Construction; Exact sciences and technology; External envelopes; Heat transfer; High performance thermal insulation material; Insulation; Review; State of the art; Thermal conductivity; Thermal insulation; Building application; Review; Aerogel; High performance thermal insulation material; High performance; State of the art; Buildings; Building insulation; Thermal insulation; material; High performance thermal insulation; Properties of materials; Product development; Application
• ISSN: 0378-7788
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2010.12.012

Aerogels are regarded as one of the most promising high performance thermal insulation materials for building applications today. With a thermal conductivity down to 13mW/(mK) for commercial products they show remarkable characteristics compared to traditional thermal insulation materials. Also the possibility of high transmittances in the solar spectrum is of high interest for the construction sector. With the proper knowledge they give both the architect and engineer the opportunity of re-inventing architectural solutions. Within this work, a review is given on the knowledge of aerogel insulation in general and for building applications in particular.