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Aerogel represents
what technology experts consider the best insulation material
ever invented. It weighs virtually nothing. It's flexible. It's
translucent. And, it can hold up under temperatures of
3,000 Fahrenheit. Aerogels have unsurpassed thermal insulation
values, as well as sound and shock absorption characteristics.
In a process
starting in 1993 with a Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) contract from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Aspen Systems
Inc., of Marlborough, Massachusetts, developed an aerogel-manufacturing
process that won the company the prestigious SBIR Technology
of the Year Award for 1999, in Manufacturing and Materials, from
the Technology Utilization Foundation. Since receiving the award,
Aspen Systems has launched Aspen Aerogels, Inc.--a spinoff company
tasked with commercializing aerogels.
Aerogels, invented
over 70 years ago, are extremely fragile, hard to handle, and
costly to manufacture by traditional means. For these reasons,
the commercial industry found it difficult to produce products
that incorporated the material. However, Aspen developed a revolutionary
manufacturing method that cut production time and costs, and
solved the handling problems associated with aerogel-based insulation
products. They can now be manufactured into blankets, thin sheets,
beads, and molded parts; and may be transparent, translucent,
or opaque. Due to their extremely light weight and often translucent
appearance, aerogels are often called solid smoke.
Aspen responded
to NASA's need for a flexible, durable, easy-to-use aerogel system
for cryogenic insulation for Space Shuttle launch applications.
For NASA, the final product of this low thermal conductivity
system, Cryogel,® was useful in applications such as launch
vehicles, Space Shuttle upgrades, interplanetary propulsion,
and life support equipment.
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| Johnson
Space Center used the Spaceloft material in the construction
of these mittens-a precursor to the development of gloves projected
for use on a future mission to Mars. |
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Aerogel
is the lightest solid known to man and is sometimes referred
to as "solid smoke" or
"frozen smoke." |
Because
of its innovative manufacturing process, Aspen is expanding the
commercial applications of aerogel to many industries. For the
first time, aerogels can be handled and installed like any other
thermal or acoustic insulation. Aspen made the material effective
for window and skylight insulation, non-flammable building insulation,
and inexpensive firewall insulation that will withstand fires
in homes and buildings, and also assist in the prevention of
forest fires.
In addition
to Cryogel, which has low temperature applications, Aspen is
working to further their aerogel product line to include Pyrogel,® and
Polar Bear, for use with high temperature applications. Both Pyrogel
and Polar Bear are currently in the development stages. Pyrogel products
will find purposes in spacecraft, rockets, engines, and high temperature
furnaces. Polar Bear covers most medium temperature applications, including
insulation for homes and buildings, clothing, appliances, airplanes,
and automobiles. The versatile aerogel products will be found in everything
from clothing, to building insulation, to space vehicles.
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| Using
aerogel in jackets such as this one will provide wearers with
unsurpassed insulation. |
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| Corpo
Nove incorporated the Spaceloft version of the NASA-developed
aerogel material into this jacket, which was tested during
an Antarctic expedition. |
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Another
example is Aspen's Spaceloft product; an inexpensive, flexible
blanket that incorporates a thin layer of aerogel embedded directly
into the fabric. An advanced version of this material originally
developed under the SBIR contract with Kennedy Space Center,
Spaceloft is relatively inexpensive, flexible, hydrophobic, and
breathable. It is also three times more effective than the best
commercially available clothing insulation. Incorporated in jackets
manufactured by Corpo Nove, and to be sold by Hugo Boss, these
jackets are intended for wear in extremely harsh conditions and
activities, such as Antarctic expeditions. As the price of Spaceloft
comes down with mass production, it is expected to be more widely
used in everyday winter clothing. Recently, NASA's Johnson Space
Center used Spaceloft to construct mittens as a precursor to
space gloves for Mars exploration.
Along with the
many advantages and applications of the superior insulation qualities
of aerogels, are the environmental implications of this material.
Widespread use of aerogel insulation in homes and buildings has
the potential to significantly reduce global energy consumption
and greenhouse gas emissions. As the company ventures further
into the future, Aspen Systems will keep advancing the applications
of aerogel for existing, as well as new and innovative purposes
that will significantly better our lives and improve the global
environment.
Spaceloft
and Polar Bear are trademarks of Aspen Systems, Inc.
Cryogel® and Pyrogel® are registered trademarks of Aspen
Systems, Inc.
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