Aerogels for Superinsulation

This chapter focuses on the use of aerogel materials as superinsulation. For long, this applied field has been considered as the most promising potential market for these nanostructured materials. The exciting developments of the last 20 years strongly support this old vision. Following a short presentation of the global need for superinsulation, we give an overview on the relevant physical principles and classify the existing superinsulating materials besides aerogels. We then take a look at the chemistry and the characteristics of aerogel materials and describe the currently available commercial aerogel products. We quantify the global insulation and superinsulation markets followed by a presentation of the most relevant application areas of aerogel as superinsulation: the built environment, offshore oil and gas, industrial insulation, apparel, and aerospace. Based on recent developments in the field, aerogels still offer the greatest potential for non-evacuated superinsulation systems and consequently are an amazing opportunity for sustainable development. This chapter of the handbook bridges the gap between those dealing with thermal insulation properties of aerogel materials in general (Chap. 9 by Hans-Peter Ebert) and the various commercial products described in Part X.