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Preparing Silica Aerogel Monoliths via a Rapid Supercritical Extraction Method
Published on: February 28, 2014
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Long-Term Performance of Monolithic Silica Aerogel with Different Hydrophobicities: Physical and Color Rendering
Costanza Vittoria Fiorini1, Francesca Merli2, Elisa Belloni2
1DIAEE Department of Astronautical, Electrical, and Energy Engineering, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2023
Summary
Silica aerogel glazing shows promising long-term performance for sustainable buildings, with slight reductions in optical and acoustic properties after accelerated aging simulating 12 years of use. Hydrophobicity was lost, but color rendering performance remained stable.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Building Physics
Background:
- Monolithic silica aerogel offers excellent properties for innovative glazing systems.
- Investigating the long-term performance of aerogel in glazing is crucial due to exposure to deteriorating agents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the progressive deterioration of silica aerogel monoliths under accelerated aging conditions.
- To evaluate the impact of aging on hydrophobicity, optical, acoustic, and color rendering properties of aerogel samples.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of 12.7 mm-thick hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica aerogel monoliths.
- Artificial aging using combined temperature and solar radiation, with acceleration factors (AFs) based on Arrhenius law and thermogravimetric analysis.
- Retesting of properties including contact angle, FT-IR, visible transmittance, acoustic performance (NRC), and color shift.
Main Results:
- Loss of hydrophobicity observed after aging, confirmed by contact angle and FT-IR analysis.
- Slight reduction in visible transmittance (0.02-0.05) and acoustic performance (NRC decreased from 0.21-0.25 to 0.18-0.22).
- Color shift occurred, with hydrophobic samples showing lower initial color rendering but no worsening after aging.
Conclusions:
- Silica aerogel monoliths demonstrate resilience in glazing applications, with manageable property degradation after simulated long-term exposure.
- The study provides valuable data for assessing the durability of aerogel in sustainable building designs.
- Hydrophobicity is a key factor influencing initial properties, but its impact on aged color rendering is less significant.
