Thermo-Physical Properties of Multilayer Super Insulation: The Role of Aerogel Blanket

Abstract In this study, a high-performance multilayer super insulation with improved thermal characteristics was manufactured by novolac aerogel/polyester mat as a spacer layer. The novolac aerogel blankets were prepared through the sol-gel polymerization method under vapor of solvent-saturated atmosphere in the presence of the polyester mat. The effect of novolac resin concentration in the initial sol and the layer density on the thermal performance of the novolac aerogels and the multilayer insulations (MLIs) with and without aerogel blankets were studied in details from morphological and thermo-physical points of view. The results indicated that the MLI with 12 aerogel blanket spacer layers, each spacer layer of which had a density of 0.173 g/cm3, a porosity of 85%, a thermal conductivity of 0.0424 W/m.K and a low thermal diffusivity of 2.16×10-7 m2/s, was achieved as an adequate specimen. Such an MLI system presented a low thermal conductivity of 2.79×10-5 W/m.K at room temperature, making a preferential candidate for thermal insulation systems.