Final product
Aspen Aerogels Inc. developed a nanotechnological patented process for creating aerogels within a matrix of needle-punched non-woven fabric available in various thicknesses and densities. The final result is a thin thermal insulating blanket provided with some unique properties such as extremely low sound and thermal conductivity, superior flexibility, compression resistance and ease of use. Additionally, a specific treatment performed at the molecular level during production makes the material hydrophobic, while maintaining high breathability to water vapour.
There are three aerogel product lines, each with its own specific characteristics, that meet the most demanding requirements and span the entire service temperature range from -200°C to 650°C:
Spaceloft®
Pyrogel®
Cryogel®
Due to the low thermal conductivity (the lowest ever achieved in a thermal insulation material), aerogel products are able to provide maximum thermal performance with minimal weight and thickness.
Here is a thermal conductivity comparison of various insulating materials.
This aspect offers significant advantages, the key ones to think about are:
- Reduction of the space needed for insulation
- Use of a smaller amount of material
- Consequent reduction of packaging and shipping costs and subsequent disposal with undoubted benefits for the environment
- Processes and resources optimization within the scope
- Due to its own superior flexibility it can be easily cut and conformed to complex shapes, tight curvatures, and spaces with restricted access always ensuring a continuous and homogeneous coating.
The exceptional characteristics of aerogels make these the most performing and technologically advanced solution today available on the market. Aerogel materials, thanks to the applied nanotechnology, are unequalled: they indeed represent the last frontier in terms of thermal insulation.