What is the R-value of aerogel insulation?

According to InspectAPedia.com, the R-Value of aerogel is 10.3 per inch versus rigid fiberglass, which has an R-Value of 4 per inch. The R-Value, or resistance value, of insulation measures to what degree insulation resists the flow of heat through an insulation material.

Can you insulate a home with aerogel?

Contractors are already using the new aerogels to insulate homes that are sealed from the outside, both over masonry and under shingles, Ceramics.org reports. “On wood frame homes, thin strips of aerogel can be applied to studs to prevent what's called thermal bridging, where heat escapes through the walls' framing.”

What is the thinnest insulation with highest R-value?

Aerogel insulation offers the highest R-value of any insulating material at less weight and thickness—ideal for construction, refineries, pipelines, and thin-gap thermal barriers.

What is the R-value of aerogel per inch?

Aerogel has an R-value of about R-10 per inch, is 99% air and insulates up to 37 times higher R-value than fiberglass. The material is costly, and fragile, factors that have limited its use in residential construction.

Is aerogel a good insulator for cold?

The air has little to no room to move, which inhibits convection and conduction, and makes it a great thermal insulator that keeps you warm and toasty. As a side note, aerogel insulation can also impede radiative heat loss, but for cold-weather apparel, convective and conductive heat loss are the primary targets.

Busting R-value insulation MYTHS

What are the downsides of using aerogel?

Disadvantages: Increased density (typically about one-third to one-half the density of water) Decreased clarity (from translucent to foggy to opaque) Decreased surface area (by about half)

Why is aerogel not used for insulation?

Secondly, Aerogel has extremely tiny pores, typically between 2-50 nm in diameter. These pores are so small that it is difficult for the air to diffuse through the material and transfer the convective heat.

What insulation has highest R-value?

The type of insulation with the highest R-Values, with a few exceptions, is rigid foam or panel insulation. Also called “foam board” or “continuous” insulation. Most varieties of this type of insulation consist of expanded foam sandwiched between two rigid panels.

What insulation has the highest R factor?

While more expensive than many other insulation materials, Aspen Aerogels products are specifically engineered to offer the thinnest insulation at the highest R-value.

What is the R-value of 2 inch blue foam?

A wall utilizing STYROFOAM T-MASS Technology with a 2-inch exterior layer and a 4-inch interior layer of concrete along with a 2-inch layer of STYROFOAM extruded polystyrene insulation would result in a material R-value of approximately 11.33.

Is aerogel insulation breathable?

Aerogel GT is a breathable insulation board 10mm thick that utilizes air-filled pores to achieve up to a 60% reduction in heat loss.

Can aerogel be sprayed?

We have demonstrated that the aerogel composite formulation is suitable for spray application using commercial spraying equipment and that it forms an excellent insulation film for high temperature exposure.

What is the R-value of open cell foam?

Closed cell spray foam has an R-value of R-7 per inch. In comparison, open cell spray foam has an R-value of R-3.8 per inch.

How long does aerogel insulation last?

The results show that for the different investigated materials, the increase in the thermal conductivity over the pristine conditions is typically below 10% for aging exposure corresponding to 20 years in typical conditions.

Why are aerogels so expensive?

Aerogel preparation involves expensive precursors, chemicals, and the need for supercritical drying, making the production relatively more expensive compared to the current conventional building insulations.

Is aerogel soundproof?

Besides keeping things toasty (or cool, depending what you're trying to do), aerogels are excellent acoustic dampers—that is, they work as phenomenal sound proofing. Airloy aerogels, for example, are 10 to 1000 times better sound insulation than even polyurethane foam.

What is the R-value of Styrofoam?

Resistance to the flow of heat is measured in "R-value", the higher the R-value, the harder it is for heat to get through. STYROFOAM extruded polystyrene insulation is rated at an R-value of 5.0 per inch at 75°F.

What is Aerogel insulation?

Aerogels are created by removing moisture from a gel while maintaining the gel structure. The resulting material provides very effective insulation. Aerogels' Porous Materials. Since their invention, aerogels have primarily been made of silica. The silica is combined with a solvent to create a gel.

What is a good R-value?

Depending on where you live and the part of your home you're insulating (walls, crawlspace, attic, etc.), you'll need a different R-Value. Typical recommendations for exterior walls are R-13 to R-23, while R-30, R-38 and R-49 are common for ceilings and attic spaces.

What is the R-value of aluminum foil?

According to ASHRAE, when just a little condensation is visible on aluminum foil, the emissivity can reach 0.2 to 0.3, which would decrease that R-value down to R-3.86.

What is the R-value of a vacuum?

VIPs have better insulating properties than conventional materials. A one-inch thick vacuum insulated panel can provide an insulating value of R-25 to R-30.

What is the most effective insulation material?

Fiberglass Insulation. Fiberglass is the most common insulation used in modern times. Because of how it is made, by effectively weaving fine strands of glass into an insulation material, fiberglass is able to minimize heat transfer.

Is aerogel the best for insulation?

Aerogel Insulation Technology

Classed as a Super Insulation, Aerogel has the highest insulation value of any known material with the lowest thermal conductivity value of any solid (0.015W/mK).

Is aerogel fireproof?

The low density and high porosity ensure a low thermal conductivity of 24 mW m⁻¹ K⁻¹, which is significantly lower than that of commercial insulation materials like EPS. The unique binary network microstructure endows the aerogel excellent fire resistance.

Is aerogel insulation toxic?

Many participants who handled aerogel insulation reported upper respiratory tract irritation, or very dry or chapped skin. Educate staff and students about potential upper respiratory tract irritation and drying effects from prolonged exposure to aerogel insulation.