Applications of Aerogel Powder and Aerogel Slurry
Introduction to Aerogel:
Aerogel is a solid material with a nano-porous, network-like structure. It possesses unique nano-level porosity and a three-dimensional network structure, coupled with extremely low density, high surface area, and high porosity. Invented by Kistler S. in 1931, it is often referred to as “blue smoke” or “frozen smoke” due to its light, mist-like appearance with a bluish tint. Holding 15 Guinness World Records, aerogel, alongside materials like graphene and fullerene, is recognized as one of the top ten revolutionary materials changing the world. It is the lightest known solid material and exhibits outstanding performance in fields such as thermodynamics, optics, electronics, mechanics, and acoustics. Having vast application prospects, aerogel is considered a dual-use technology with significant military and civilian applications. Aerogel currently stands as the best-known insulating material with a thermal conductivity as low as 0.012 W/m·K, making it the solid with the smallest known thermal conductivity to date.
Nano Aerogel Powder Particles:
Aerogel contains mostly nanopores with dimensions smaller than 50nm, enabling it to effectively limit heat conduction and thus provide efficient thermal insulation. Unlike hollow spheres that degrade when ruptured, aerogel particles, even when crushed, retain their insulating properties. The AG-POWDER series of nano aerogel powder particles produced by Anchor-Tech finds broad applications in insulation, thermal protection, and cooling structures as functional layers. It can be used as a filler layer and can be composite processed with other materials to create aerogel felt, aerogel boards, aerogel coatings, or other composite materials. Main application areas include heavy oil extraction, petrochemicals, LNG storage and transportation, coal chemicals, concentrated solar power, thermal power, nuclear power, aerospace, thermal pipelines, and ovens, among other fields requiring highly effective thermal insulation.
Aerogel Slurry (AG-Slurry):
Based on the AG-POWDER series, Anchor-Tech utilizes advanced surface chemistry to prepare a water-based aerogel slurry called AG-Slurry. This slurry uniformly disperses hydrophobic silica aerogel with nano-porous structures into water. The AG-POWDER series aerogel particles remain stably dispersed in the water-based resin system. After water evaporation, 98% of the remaining substance is aerogel, retaining its inherent properties such as insulation and hydrophobicity. The aerogel slurry, in addition to the properties of aerogel powder, is dust-free, environmentally friendly, non-toxic, stable in performance, easy to incorporate, and enhances thermal insulation performance.
AG-Slurry can be utilized to produce aerogel felts, aerogel coatings, etc., by incorporating resins, film-forming agents, or through fiber spraying or composite processing with other materials. For instance, aerogel coatings are suitable for surface insulation and thermal protection of high-temperature equipment, oil storage tanks, LNG tanks, containers, roofs, walls, and other insulation components. Especially in special areas and environments constrained by weight, volume, or space, this convenient-to-apply super insulating material is highly suitable. Moreover, the material is durable and corrosion-resistant.
