Thermal resistance and its complement, thermal conductance, are fundamental concepts in thermodynamics, thermal engineering, and heat transfer. They describe the ability of a material to insulate (resistance) or transfer (conductance) heat. Thermal resistivity is important in industries like aerospace, automotive, building &
construction, biomedical applications, and energy storage, among others. At one end of the spectrum of thermal properties are metals which typically exhibit high conductance and low resistance, for example, a copper coil immersion chiller used to transfer heat out of a liquid. At the other end of the spectrum are thermal insulators like fiberglass and polyurethane foam. There are, however, more exotic materials that exhibit more extreme properties. Diamond and boron arsenide are both much more conductive than the most conductive metal – silver. Silica aerogel is about 33% less conductive than
expanded polyurethane foam (The Engineering ToolBox). Aside from being exceptional insulators, aerogels have other fascinating properties that make them well-suited for unique applications.
Due to their unusual features, aerogels can be used for biomedical, acoustic, food packaging, electrochemical energy storage, thermal insulation, environmental, water treatment, catalysis, and aerospace applications. For biomedical and pharmaceutical applications specifically, aerogels can be used for diagnostic instruments, implantable devices, biosensing, wound repair, regenerative medicine, and delivery of medications. In astronautical applications, aerogels have a variety of uses including thermal insulation, high-velocity particle capture (e.g, cosmic dust collection), cryogenic fluid containment, fire retardation, acoustics, thermal barriers, etc. (Nazia Rodoshi Khan, 2024).
A research group from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently developed aerogel materials with higher temperature resistance, strength, and insulation performance. Aerogels are traditionally made with SiO2, but in this group’s study, researchers introduced small amounts of ZrO2 crystalline phase to one-dimensional SiO2 fibers (Liu Cui, 2024), which increased their temperature resistance. Additionally, they investigated the potential use of biomass aerogels for eco-friendly building insulation materials, developing sodium alginate aerogels that were able to support 2600 times their own weight and possessed flame retardancy and self-extinguishing properties. This recent research has helped provide solutions for efficient heat insulation.
The characterization of synthesized aerogels typically emphasizes structural and materials properties rather than elemental or molecular composition. EAG is well-equipped to undertake Surface Area (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller equation) and Pore Size Determination (Barrett, Joyner, Halenda or Density Functional Theory methods) measurements of aerogels. For aerogels that are being deployed for purposes such as capturing high-velocity particles in a spacecraft or carrying calcium, zinc and silver cations for wound care, mapping the distribution of chemical composition is an important application. Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy and Laser Ablation – Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry are both spatially resolved elemental chemistry techniques well-suited to mapping aerogels. Bulk compositional analysis of aerogels, such as before and after testing of aerogels used to harvest uranium from sea water, can be accomplished using Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy or Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry. EAG scientists and engineers are ready to work with you to develop application-specific protocols to meet your aerogel needs.
Learn about the important role of Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GDMS) in preventing aerospace failures. Even the smallest impurities can cause catastrophic results.
For 3D printed products, XPS can provide composition and bonding information for the top 5-10nm sample surfaces. Oftentimes, surface contamination/oxide thickness would affect the appearance (as well as performance when applicable) of the material, and XPS could help identify the source and/or cause.
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
This webinar will cover the chemical characterization of consumer products using extractable/leachable studies. Register to reserve your spot today!
In this webinar we introduce EAG Analytical Capabilities in Europe at our Eindhoven and Toulouse Laboratories
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