Airgel – can float in the air of solid material, how to change the world?

known to the world\’s lightest solid If you achieve the ultimate, Aerogels Such solid even float in the air; a 1000 degrees Celsius front of the flame injection, the back can still hand touch …… this is the magic of the airgel. Beijing Audemars Piguet love and new materials Co., Ltd. Chairman Tian Lei told Technology Daily reporter, also known as airgel air glue, solid smoke or blue smoke, is a kind of nanoscale porous super thermal insulation material. Popular terms, airgel is a material form. World Materials Conference 2014 presented, this pattern consists of more than 90% of air and less than 10% solids. It can withstand thousands of times corresponding to the pressure of its own mass, not melt until the temperature reaches 1200 degrees Celsius. In addition to its low thermal conductivity and the refractive index, but also the insulating capacity of 39 times stronger than the best glass fibers. Due to possess these characteristics, airgel space exploration has become irreplaceable material, the Russian \”Peace\” space station and the United States \”Mars Pathfinder\” probe will use it for insulation. In addition to aerospace, aerogels can be widely used in many fields of military, petrochemical, power, metallurgy, architecture, clothing, and other conventional insulating material revolutionary alternative. Funded by the German Research Institute of Tongji University, deputy director of the establishment of Solid State Physics Shen Jun is the first study aerogels and scholars. He told the Science and Technology Daily reporter, the reason airgel has the mettle, mainly due to its special nano-porous structure. \”Tofu are all familiar with the program, we first use of raw materials made of milk, tofu and then solidified become significantly reduce the volume if the water inside the tofu curd is squeezed out into tofu, aerogels analogous to want to go out tofu in the water, but they can not reduce the volume, to add gas into it, it is more difficult. \”said Shen Jun. So long as the gel is replaced by a liquid gas while the gel network structure basically remain unchanged, aerogels have become the material obtained. There are many types airgel, silicon-based, carbon-based, sulfur-based, metal oxide-like. in the thermal insulation materials market pyramid spire , said Shen Jun, 1931, Stanford University Kistler first airgel prepared by the hydrolysis of sodium silicate. However, due to the complex processAnd the cost is too high, and did not pay sufficient attention to the airgel after the advent. In the 1980s, some physicists in Europe began to notice this new material and began to study. In 1985, the University of Wuerzburg in Germany Physics organization \”International Symposium airgel\” First held. By the early 1990s, the Americans again research into the airgel. In 1993, the airgel is applied to spacesuits, spacecraft, the space shuttle and so on. Pohl Institute of Solid State Physics, Tongji University, Germany-funded the establishment of the airgel will be identified as one of the research as early as 1991. Due to the close relationship with Germany, the lab is rapidly gaining airgel technology. \”We\’re in a short time reached the international advanced level,\” said Shen Jun. That time of small-scale applications mainly in the field of nuclear physics. Shen Jun said that around the year 2000, due to the high cost and large-scale industrial production is difficult to achieve technological breakthroughs, airgel as an industry has not developed. In recent years, due to the intense demand for energy, global environmental degradation and other reasons, academia and industry began to research airgel industrialization. \”Until around 2013, considered the industry developed, the current leading the United States and China.\” Said Shen Jun. American Airgel is mainly used in aerospace, petrochemical and other fields, and gradually enter the consumer market. Our airgel is now mainly used for high-speed rail industry, oil and so on. Allied market research company in June 2014 released the report, the global airgel market value in 2013 of $ 221.8 million, is estimated to reach $ 1.8966 billion in 2020, the annual compound in the forecast period (from 2014-2020) of a growth rate of 36.4%. With the airgel material exploration in new areas of application continuous improvement, the market is expected, over time the market growth momentum will be further enhanced. Another study reported that in 2010, the global thermal insulation materials market estimated size of $ 32.1 billion, 6.3% annual growth rate in the future, to 2019 to reach $ 55.6 billion. Which accounts for about one-third of the total share, accounting for two-thirds share of the construction sector and industrial equipment fields. Airgel material occupies the spire of the whole pyramid model of thermal insulation materials market, the current size of the entire thermal insulation materials market is almost negligible, theSide note airgel industry is still in its early infancy, but also indicates its future huge space for development. industry standards are being developed in \”The biggest obstacle previously restricted airgel market expansion is the high price, once the cost of production airgel material can be significantly decreased, the market size will dramatically expand product sales will rapid expansion, and a revolutionary alternative to traditional insulation materials. \”Audemars Piguet and love Donghai Bing, deputy general manager told the Science and Technology Daily reporter. Audemars Piguet and love during the past 10 years, committed to improving the preparation of airgel, reduce costs, it can be a large-scale industrial production and product quality and significantly reduce costs and make aerogels become common industrial and civil fIELD affordable \”super-insulation material.\” The company to do experiments showed that in more than 1,000 degrees Celsius temperature heat gun, the conventional organic insulation materials seconds quickly burn out, the same thickness as conventional thermal insulation materials are inorganic burn through time of less than 1 minute, but the company\’s airgel sheet is 40 minutes after the breakdown. In addition to good fire resistance, thermal insulation to achieve the same effect under the airgel requires only 1 / 3-1 / 4 of the thickness of the conventional inorganic materials. \”Although airgel insulation products priced higher than traditional materials, but considering the life of the construction costs, lower the cost of using airgel.\” Donghai Bing said. Shen Jun disclosed that his team just concluding scientific and technological support projects, the application of silicon airgel studied in building energy areas, including product labeling, construction specifications and so on. \”Airgel in this area should be soon promote.\” In addition, in transportation, heat network pipeline construction, petroleum, petrochemical and other industries, airgel applications are increasingly widespread. Burning \”of electric vehicles within the security risks mainly from the lithium battery electrolyte or explosion if battery to wear clothes airgel, will greatly enhance the safety factor; dioxide airgel can be isolated from infrared, ultraviolet, decomposition of formaldehyde, can be used manufacturing reusable masks, air filters and other purification. \”Donghai Bing convinced airgel will become a big industry. Donghai Bing wants the state to introduce relevant policies and standards, promote this nascent industry specification development. In this regard, Shen Jun said: \”At present, some fake airgel has appeared on the market, norms and standardsAccurate and real urgent need to implement. Nanjing Fiberglass Research and Design Institute is currently developing standards, including product standards, construction norms, etc., should be able to introduce this year. \”