﻿CERN is the birthplace of some of the world’s best-known inventions; the Hadron
Collider which is the world’s largest particle accelerator, antimatter, the World Wide web
and large scale production of aerogel. Aerogel is the world’s lightest solid.
Around 99.8% of this material is air making it an excellent insulator.
Aerogel nanotechnology has been used in spacecraft and space suits, on a Mars rover and it's even
been used to capture comet dust. Aspen Aerogels embedded tiny particles
of aerogel into fibers to create flexible insulation blankets for buildings. This
material is 5 times better than standard insulation. So, how does this fascinating
material work? Can we use this to build super insulated structures to cut down our energy
bills? Will it revolutionize construction or are there barriers preventing mass adoption?
Aerogels are solid gels with pockets of air instead of water. It’s often called frozen
smoke because of its translucent blue appearance. Silica aerogel
is made of 4 main ingredients: Tetramethyl orthosilicate or TMOS
Methanol, a volatile, colorless and flammable liquid
Deionized water which is treated to remove all positive and negative ions
And Ammonium hydroxide, a catalyst that speeds up reactions
Aerogel is an incredible invention with many advantages. It is lightweight, elastic,
it can be formed into any shape and it has a superior thermal and acoustic insulation
power. However, since it’s mainly made of air, aerogel is very brittle and fragile.
You can see hairline cracks in this aerogel sample when it’s held up to a light. It also
easily crumbles into dust, which limits its uses in most applications.
To make aerogel more resilient and versatile for the construction industry, tiny silica
aerogel particles are embedded into a flexible fabric made of polyester and glass fibers. This
creates a Spaceloft Insulation blanket. These fibers are also called a non-woven batting
material. They are bonded together with the help of heat, pressure or chemical binders.
They provide a flexible and durable support for aerogel particles, and turn a fragile
material into a useful product. Aerogel insulation blankets are sold in
2 thicknesses; 5mm and 10mm. It’s stiff, but pliable. It can be cut on site or in a factory
with scissors or razor snips and it can be easily shaped to fit around pipes, ducts,
wires, and other irregular surfaces. It’s great in complex and tight spaces and even spaces with
restricted access. It gives off a very slight smell of ammonia and it leaves your fingers
feeling powdery and dry, but it is not toxic in small quantities. Let’s jump into some of the many
advantages of aerogel insulation. Aerogel insulation has an R value of 10.3 per
inch, which is much higher than R2.7 per inch for fiberglass insulation, R3 per inch
for Rockwool insulation and R5 per inch for XPS or extruded polystyrene insulation.
Aerogel is very effective at slowing down the transfer of heat from exterior surfaces
to interior surfaces or vice-versa. It can stop thermal bridging, lower heating and cooling costs
and reduce energy consumption in buildings. If you want to increase the R value of the wall,
you can simply add more layers on top of the first layer. Aerogel actually has a higher
R-value than air. This is because of the Knudsen Effect. When a gas is trapped in very small pores,
its thermal conductivity falls to below what it would be in free environments.
Spaceloft aerogel blankets are treated with special compounds to make them superhydrophobic
or water-repelling. When I poured water on the sample, it beaded up and slid right off. Not
a single drop of water was absorbed. Another advantage is its thin, space-saving
profile. I spoke to an engineer recently that used aerogel insulation on a building in New
York because the architect forgot to include insulation in their construction drawings.
Since they couldn’t rip out the walls and start over, the most economical choice was aerogel.
Aerogel insulation is also fire-resistant and has a Class A fire rating. It can
withstand temperatures from -200 Celsius of -390 Fahrenheit to 200 Celsius or 390 Fahrenheit.
Aerogel blankets can be used on internal and external walls, floors, terraces,
curved walls, balconies, roofs, and more. It is compatible with most building materials.
It can be glued to the underside of wood plank flooring. It can be attached straight to drywall
without another membrane. Decorative metal finishes can be added to the wall systems
for interior walls. It can also be glued directly to structural, solid wood framing members.
One of the most important advantages of aerogel insulation is its breathability. It
is vapor-open, which means that it allows water vapor to pass through both ways,
which makes it ideal for historic buildings. It has been used on curved staircases, on historic
old mills in Switzerland, a multi-family house, a church, country house and more. Of course,
like every building material and system, it has some disadvantages. Before we discuss them, I’d
like to introduce the sponsor of this portion of the video. Brad Hedges is an architectural sales
consulting company based in Georgia. They help designers specify terrazzo,
stair treads, railings, pavers and resin wood laminates for architectural applications. They
specialize in high end residential and commercial projects like the Ascent Peachtree in Atlanta,
Georgia. Warm and highly durable Parklex flooring was used in the lobby areas. To complement the
wood, removable pavers from Hanover were used in the outdoor areas. Head to bradhedges.com to
check out their detailed, exquisite work and contact them for your project.
Let’s end this video with the disadvantages of Spaceloft aerogel insulation. First off,
it is very dusty. It’s not toxic in small quantities and it can be easily washed off
your skin and clothing. However, inhaling large amounts of this silica dust can cause
irritation of your throat and lungs. You must use gloves, eye protection and a
dust mask when installing this product. The other disadvantage is the cost. The exact
price depends on your location and the quantity being purchased, but in general,
it costs around $7 to $20 per square foot, much more expensive than traditional insulation like
Rockwool which costs around $2 per square foot. This is the biggest hurdle to mass adoption.
Aerogel insulation is a novelty, specialized product. Like we discussed in this video,
it has superior thermal performance, it is resistant to compression despite being flexible,
it’s also resistant to moisture and fire and it can lower heating and cooling costs. It is perfect
for historic renovation projects, and industrial applications, but not standard construction.
Scientists are trying to lower the cost of aerogel with new ingredients and processes,
so watch out for innovations in this space. I came across an all-natural aerogel inspired by wood,
a transparent aerogel for windows, and even bricks filled with aerogel. I can make another
video on those innovations if you’re interested, so let me know in the comments below. Also check
out my dedicated video on aerogel. I’ll link it in the description and up here. I’ll also
link my Patreon page in the description. If you can support me, I’d really appreciate it. A big
thank you to everyone already supporting me. Don’t forget to hit that like button,
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