China airgel industry is expected to catch up with \”global giants\”

– Interview with the University of Texas at Dallas Lu Hongbing Aerogels for ordinary people is still a relatively unfamiliar vocabulary, but the international field of materials science and it is a soft spot this is known as \”revolutionary new material\” always give people a surprise. Aerogels are the lightest presently known, the best insulation performance, solid materials having ultra-lightweight, low thermal conductivity, high thermal stability, high absorption, high energy absorption, sound insulation properties, in the chemical , petrochemical, metallurgy, pipes, thermal equipment, construction, aerospace and military fields have a very broad application value and potential. Airgel is one of international calls \”to change the world\’s top ten magical material\”, with fifteen Guinness world record. It is understood that the airgel in the 1970s began to be applied to the field of aerospace, 2002. NASA aerospace materials technology into industrial applications, the use of supercritical technology to produce airgel felt, is known as a revolutionary industry insulation program. After research institutes, industrial enterprises have started to dabble research and application of airgel, airgel ushered in a wave of R & D products in the world. Then the research and application of international airgel is what, and what our country is currently in a state? Reporters interviewed the professor to the University of Texas at Dallas Lu Hongbing, asked him to stand in the international point of view to analyze the development of the situation airgel industry. Lu Hongbing, made in 1986, Central Institute of Technology bachelor\’s degree, in December 1988, Tsinghua University graduate master\’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1997 PhD in aeronautics at Caltech. Now a professor at Dallas, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Deputy Head of the Department. At the same time the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Communication Sciences. Professor Lu and his team engaged in the preparation of a new generation of high toughness airgel and modification of more than ten years, successfully prepared toughened inorganic polymer (such as silica) polymer aerogels and airgel, and has cost invention, efficient, rapid and high toughness large-scale production method of airgel, for noise insulation, and other fields. develop an international perspective to solve their own problems When a reporter asked international comparison and domestic research and development of aerogelsHow Progress, Lu Hongbing said: \”The current international and domestic is consistent with recent years, domestic research and development has begun to catch up in the airgel development direction and momentum, perhaps in the near future to go beyond the international level since. at present, many developed countries have a very good environmental governance, in terms of its energy saving demand pressure is not great, more research aerogels are some enterprises in order to reduce costs, or can be said for icing on the cake. \”to the United States, in fact it is not a country saves, the US per capita energy use is about 10 times that of China. Although the United States has very strict energy efficiency standards, not a real waste, but due to the large living space per capita, more dispersed residential and other causes its large energy consumption. Lu Hongbing said: \”I own a house, for example, because the United States is very high energy efficiency standards, building standards in accordance with the new house roof insulation layer is R60, which is the thickness of the glass fibers take up to 30 inches, with the main facades of brick , usually 3 inches and 6 inches require a cold place. \”However, this is difficult to implement standards in China, because China\’s large population, greater demand for resources, each family would use such thick [123 ] insulation materials is clearly not fit reality, so China should be more urgent demand for research and development of energy-saving light material right. According to Lu Hongbing introduced, at the international level there are currently many schools have already been studied airgel systems, such as Canada, Los Angeles, Michigan State University, as well as many European countries use it as a research direction. He said: \”I currently have and Missouri University of Science and Technology cooperation, research airgel applications had to do in the Office of Naval Research, since the conventional aerogels are very brittle, applications need better toughness of the material, I wanted a way in traditional airgel nano-coated with a thin base soluble polymer materials, traditional aerogels and it looks the same, but toughness is very good, do not need other materials matrix material. in the study also found its noise performance is very good, I think this is a good solution to the problem of domestic noise pollution. \”airgel applications in developed countries are also concentrated in terms of insulation, but there are a lot of their research direction, inorganic gas gels, aerogels, inorganic – organic hybrid aerogels and carbon aerogels and the like. Current organic aerogels have been developed with insulation, Noise function, and can be used directly, the industrial production process is not very complicated. Because of this new technology just developed material and production costs are still relatively high, it has not been widely used. Lu Hongbing said: \”I would like to promote the use of airgel, airgel your current build innovative applications to promote the center could pass on the most advanced technology to the domestic institutions begin to guide the airgel used in most high-end. field, in the production technology is mature prices will naturally come down, so that we can have more applications of this new material. \” concentrate superior resources will catch up Lu Hongbing for domestic airgel R & D and application is very confident, he said: \”airgel for R & D field, the beginning of the country is slightly lagging behind some, but the current government attaches great importance to environmental issues, is to improve the standards of energy conservation, fire prevention, promote gas development and application of the gel, the growing power makes endogenous compound growth rate of the past two years airgel industry has surpassed the United States, the future will be in the international advanced level. \”Because airgel products and traditional compartment hot material compared to more expensive, but in the long considering its overall costs but will lower the pressure on the environment is small, its overall efficiency is better than conventional insulation materials. Therefore, the market can not rely solely on the promotion of airgel applications, and promote the role of the state is critical. Lu Hongbing said: \”Due to the development of more intense competition abroad, it is difficult to put a lot of advantages of resources or a professor but the domestic industry currently attaches great importance to energy saving and environmental protection, abundant resources can be concentrated in a relatively strong R & D team. on the high R & D investment in research, industry airgel so it is easier to grow and develop. and currently the airgel areas have begun to increase international exchanges and gradually changed the status of the old theory, this is a very good phenomenon. \”It is understood that the United States aerogels are market-driven research and development of voluntary corporate action, like our country so rarely have support at the national level, and therefore a large degree of development of the industry is determined by economic interests. Lu Hongbing believe that there is the North China Construction Engineering such state-owned enterprises do airgel development and promotion, more for social and environmental benefits of putting in a lot of manpower and financial resources in order to better promote airgel development industry. doing fine insulation pioneering application Lu Hongbing noted in the country promote the use of airgel work, in the insulation areas of strength has been very clear, so first the airgel insulation products function well do fine, and extended during the study to other areas, such as currently found in noise functions. When Lu Hongbing in Beijing Construction Engineering Company to see the new material with airgel felt yurts business model to do, very excited and said: \”You do this yurt is a very good innovation, but also in the airgel applications an exploratory study of the current common silica airgel academic can do is limited, product research and development production is not very difficult, because airgel applications are very wide, and there are many difficulties to be solved , so the current development of key industries in the airgel product applications. \”It is understood that these aerogels felt yurts of Mongolia for the development of production in Mongolia winter temperatures as low as -40 ℃, in order to meet the state\’s 75% energy efficiency standards, the use of traditional felt the need to reach the thickness of 180mm, and traditional felt yurts thickness was 10mm ~ 30mm, can not achieve energy efficiency standards, but also very cold winter, people living in it, you need to continue to burn a lot of energy for heating . Airgel felt used as insulation, only 50mm thickness would be 75% of the energy requirements of the national standard, at the time of about 20 ℃ outdoor, heated so as to reach chamber 50 ℃, hot and cold air exchange is not performed under the premise, we will continue to maintain this temperature difference. So people can really achieve in the snow of winter, sitting comfortably warm yurts, eating roast leg of lamb drinking horse milk live a better life.