Polyurea based aerogel for a high performance thermal insulation material

Less fragile lightweight nanostructured polyurea based organic aerogels were prepared via a simple sol–gel processing and supercritical drying method. The uniform polyurea wet gels were first prepared at room temperature and atmospheric pressure by reacting different isocyanates with polyamines using a tertiary amine (triethylamine) catalyst. Gelation kinetics, uniformity of wet gel, and properties of aerogel products were significantly affected by both target density (i.e., solid content) and equivalent weight (EW) ratio of the isocyanate resin and polyamine hardener. A supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) drying method was used to extract solvent from wet polyurea gels to afford nanoporous aerogels. The thermal conductivity values of polyurea based aerogel were measured at pressures from ambient to 0.075 torr and at temperatures from room temperature to −120 °C under a pressure of 8 torr. The polyurea based aerogel samples demonstrated high porosities, low thermal conductivity values, hydrophobicity properties, relatively high thermal decomposition temperature (~270 °C) and low degassing property and were less dusty than silica aerogels. We found that the low thermal conductivities of polyurea based aerogels were associated with their small pore sizes. These polyurea based aerogels are very promising candidates for cryogenic insulation applications and as a thermal insulation component of spacesuits.     

二氧化硅气凝胶在保温隔热领域中的应用

二氧化硅(SiO_2)气凝胶是通过使用气体来置换湿溶胶中的液体,从而得到一种结构可控的新型轻质纳米多孔固态材料.SiO_2气凝胶材料与其他保温隔热材料相比,具有较低的导热系数(≈0.013 W/(m·K))和较高的透明性,在保温隔热领域中开发潜力巨大,有望替代传统的保温隔热材料.尽管气凝胶目前的成本高于传统的隔热材料,但是我们相信通过科学家和工程学家的不断努力,气凝胶的生产成本会被不断的降低,最终遍及世界各地.本文作者综述了SiO_2气凝胶材料在隔热领域的多种应用形式,介绍了目前国内外气凝胶公司研发产品情况以及实际应用案例.     

Influence of thermal annealing on structural properties of silica aerogel super insulation material

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Optimization of entropy generation in squeezing flow of carbon nanotubes is addressed. Nanoparticles consist of single- and multiple-walled carbon...     

Abilities of porous materials for energy saving in advanced thermal systems

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Using materials with porous natures to enhance the thermal efficiency of various thermal systems has attracted much attention. This is owing to the low...     

Fabrication of silk fibroin film with properties of thermal insulation and temperature monitoring

Silk fibroin exhibits excellent mechanical properties, good biocompatibility, and biodegradability combined with benign processing conditions, attracting considerable research interest for the application as biomedical materials. Among the diverse forms of sponges, hydrogels, films, and mats manufactured from silk fibroin, films are especially appealing due to the high water and oxygen permeability, good cell attachment, and low immunogenicity. Fabrication of silk fibroin films with novel properties has been successfully developed simply by incorporating various functional components into it. In the present study, the properties of thermal insulation and temperature monitoring for the silk fibroin film are demonstrated for the first time through the incorporation of thermochromic microcapsules within it. Moreover, the silk fibroin film is also endowed with improved mechanical properties in terms of tension strength and elongation at break because of the reinforcing effect of thermochromic microcapsules. The silk fibroin film fabricated with novel features in this study can be a good candidate for the application of wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds, and bio‐related devices in the future. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1846–1852     

Application of PCM thermal energy storage system to reduce building energy consumption

The building sector is known to make a large contribution to total energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Phase change materials (PCMs) have been considered for thermal energy storage (TES) in buildings. They can balance out the discrepancies between energy demand and energy supply, which are temporally out of phase. However, traditional PCMs need special latent storage devices or containers to encapsulate the PCM, in order to store and release the latent heat of the PCM. The proper design of TES systems using a PCM requires quantitative information and knowledge about the heat transfer and phase change processes in the PCM. In Korea, radiant floor heating systems, which have traditionally been used in residential buildings, consume approximately 55% of the total residential building energy consumption in heating. This article reviews the development of available latent heat thermal energy storage technologies and discusses PCM application methods for residential building using radiant floor heating systems with the goal of reducing energy consumption.     

High-conductivity nanomaterials for enhancing thermal performance of latent heat thermal energy storage systems

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Dispersing high-conductivity nanomaterials into phase change materials (PCM) of latent heat thermal energy storage systems (LHTESS) is expected to...     

Fabrication of flame-retardant and smoke-suppressant isocyanate-based polyimide foam modified by silica aerogel thermal insulation and flame protection layers

Because of containing urea groups, flame resistance and smoke releasing behaviors of isocyanate-based polyimide foam (IBPIF) produced using free foaming technology require further improvement. In this work, silica aerogel layers were incorporated into cells of IBPIF through an in situ growth process of silica sol (SS). Compared with silica aerogel particles directly mixed into the foaming slurry, the silica aerogel layers that firmly attached to the pores and surfaces of cells not only provided exceptional thermal insulation and flame protection, but also kept original cellular structure. With increase in ratio of SS mass to IBPIF volume, silica aerogel incorporation dosage was gradually increased. Accompanied by flame resistance was obviously improved and smoke releasing behavior was effectively suppressed. Those were indicated by the improved limiting oxygen index (LOI), decreased heat release rate (HRR), peak of HRR, and specific optical density of smoke (Ds) in trials with pilot flames. Compared with pure IBPIF, when the ratio reached to 5/15 g/cm³, it resulted in LOI increasing from 22.0% to 33.0%, peak of HRR, total smoke production (TSP), and maximum value of Ds decreasing from 174 to 72 kW/m², 1.11 to 0.37 m²/m², 45.90 to 17.45, respectively.     

Lightweight lignocellulosic foams for thermal insulation

Foams are mainly composed of dispersed gas trapped in a liquid or solid phase making them lightweight and thermally insulating materials. Additionally, they are applicable for large surfaces, which makes them attractive for thermal insulation. State-of-the-art thermally insulating foams are made of synthetic polymeric materials such as polystyrene. This work focuses on generating foam from surfactants and renewable lignocellulosic materials for thermally insulating stealth material. The effect of two surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and polysorbate (T80)), two cellulosic materials (bleached pulp and nanocellulose), and lignin on the foaming and stability of foam was investigated using experimental design and response surface methodology. The volume-optimized foams determined using experimental design were further studied with optical microscopy and infrared imaging. The results of experimental design, bubble structure of foams, and observations of their thermal conductivity showed that bleached pulp foam made using SDS as surfactant produced the highest foam volume, best stability, and good thermal insulation. Lignin did not improve the foaming or thermal insulation properties of the foam, but it was found to improve the structural stability of foam and brought natural brown color to the foam. Both wet and dry lignocellulosic foams provided thermal insulation comparable to dry polystyrene foam.

Graphical abstract

     

Application of thermal analysis for determination of film pressure and film surface energy on silica gel surface

The results of dynamic and quasi-isothermal thermodesorption of water from a silica gel surface at low furnace heating rates in the temperature range 20–125° are presented. From the experimental results, the water film pressure π on silica gel surface, the activation energy ΔE and the evaporation heat ΔH were calculated. An interpretation of π changes in relation to the film thickness and wetting process has been proposed. It is concluded that the characteristic film pressure values correspond to the work of spreading, and immersional, adhesional and adhesional-cohesional wetting. From the determined film pressure values, the average value of the silica gel polar component, γ _s ^P , was calculated to be 114.67 mJ/m².     

Effect of the placement of aerogel insulation in the heat transfer properties

Nowadays, the thermal insulation both of existing and new buildings is one of the most important actions for reducing the energy loss of buildings and to reduce the emission of green house gases. In the European Union, buildings account for about 20–40% of the total final energy consumption. Examination of the thermal properties (e.g., effective thermal conductivity) of building materials and structures are very important both for the manufacturers and for the consumers. Several possibilities are available for measuring this parameter of materials. The mainly used thermal insulating materials are the plastic foamy and mineral wool materials; moreover, the nanotechnological insulators (e.g., aerogel, hollow nanospheres) are requiring spaces for themselves also. One promising them for the future is the silica aerogel-based slabs. Aerogels are nanoporous lightweight materials that were discovered more than 70 years ago. Nowadays, their applications are truly widespread. Firstly, in this article thermal transmittance measurements of wall structures will be presented with calibrated chamber method. These measurements were accomplished through an inbuilt plaster/brick/plaster wall construction individually. After that, it was covered with a 0.013-m-thick aerogel layer at first in a cold and then in the warm side. Comparison of the heat fluxes, insulation capabilities and effective thermal conductivities measured by the above-mentioned method will be presented. The change in the retardation time and in the surface temperatures will be also discussed. Secondly, in order to investigate the conductive effect, thermal conductivity measurements with Holometrix lambda 2000 apparatus were accomplished too.

     

Thermodynamics and performance evaluation of encapsulated PCM-based energy storage systems for heating application in building

This communication presents the comparative study of two different types of thermal management systems for room’s heating applications using calcium chloride hexahydrate as the thermal energy storage material encapsulated in panels and balls. During the daytime, TMS was outside the test room to store the solar heat in TMS. The solar heat made available to charge the PCM from solid to liquid and to warm the test room throughout the observation period during night time. As the room temperature drops significantly during the night time, so as the level of comfort. Both the thermal management systems have been used to heat the test room during night time and the temperature of the test room has been maintained at thermal comfort level without any conventional source of energy, i.e. using passive system. Also the experimental values were compared with those of the theoretical values and are found in good agreement with each other. Thus, it can be concluded that the experimental study carried out for both the thermal management systems have been validated by theoretical approach or vice versa and hence found to be satisfactory towards the successful operation of these systems.     

Electrospun nanofibrous membranes embedded with aerogel for advanced thermal and transport properties

The primary purpose of cold weather clothing is to shield the wearer from the extremities of the external environment. The thermal properties of nanofibers and their potential applications have tremendous scope and application in this area. The objective of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of heat transfer through fibrous insulation where the fiber diameter was less than 1 μm. Electrospinning process was used to produce flexible polyurethane and polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers embedded with silica aerogel. The thermal and transport behavior of the samples was evaluated, and results were statistically analyzed. Presence of aerogel particles were confirmed through microscopic examination. Thermal behavior was investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibrous membranes embedded with aerogel obtained a good thermal stability with lower weight loss than polyurethane nanofibrous membranes. The glass transition and melting point was not affected by the aerogel content in the layers, validating that polymers are not miscible. The increase in duration of electrospinning led to higher web thickness, which resulted in considerable decrease in air permeability. Considerable improvement of thermal insulation was observed by increasing the number and the weight per unit area of both nanofibrous membranes. The results confirmed increase in thermal insulation by embedding silica aerogel in nanofibrous membranes. With reference to the results, it could be concluded that nanofibers embedded with aerogel are good for thermal insulation in cold weather conditions. Thermal insulation battings incorporating nanofibers could possibly decrease the weight and bulk of current thermal protective clothing.     

Improvement of gas meter performance using polymer materials

The measuring elements of both dry‐ and wet‐type gas meters are composed of a diaphragm and rotary drum. In this article an explanation on the principle of measuring and the structure of the gas meter for each of these two types was discussed. Such applications were made as follows: synthetic rubber was used for the measuring diaphragm, engineering plastic was employed instead of metal for the measuring drum, and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) was used for the casing, respectively. As a result, an improvement in the gas resistance performance and productivity, which led to a lighter weight, more compactness and a lower cost of productions was achieved. Also the influence of the solubility of the measured gas to the plastic on the measured valve was discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.