Aerogel is a new type of material with unique properties and is hailed as a "miraculous material that changes the world". Its keywords include "nanoporous", "low density", "high thermal insulation" and so on.
Characteristics: The most prominent feature of aerogel is its extremely high porosity, which can reach over 90%. This gives it an ultra-low density, making it even lighter than air and one of the lightest solid materials in the world. Meanwhile, it has excellent thermal insulation performance, far surpassing that of traditional thermal insulation materials. In addition, it also has good sound absorption and noise reduction, fire retardant properties, and strong chemical stability, being resistant to acid and alkali corrosion.
Preparation Methods: Usually, materials such as silica sol and metal alkoxides are used as raw materials. The wet gel is first prepared through the sol-gel method, and then special processes such as supercritical drying or atmospheric drying are used to remove the solvent in the gel while retaining its porous structure, thus obtaining aerogel. Supercritical drying can better maintain the porous structure of aerogel, but it has a relatively high cost; atmospheric drying has a lower cost but also has higher requirements for the process.
Application Fields: In the aerospace field, it is used for the thermal insulation of aircraft, which can effectively reduce weight. In the construction field, as a thermal insulation material for walls and roofs, it can greatly improve the energy-saving effect of buildings. In energy storage, it can be applied to the thermal insulation protection of lithium batteries to improve the safety and performance of batteries. In the petroleum and chemical industries, it is used for the thermal insulation of pipelines and equipment to reduce energy consumption. In automobile manufacturing, it is used for the thermal insulation of automobile engines and the thermal management system of new energy vehicle batteries to reduce heat transfer and improve energy utilization efficiency. With the continuous progress of technology, aerogel is expected to play an important role in more fields and bring innovative development to various industries.