Fabrication and characterization of silica aerogel blanket as an excellent thermal insulating material

The main application of silica aerogel is as an insulating material. However, basic forms of silica aerogel have limited application. Silica aerogel can be embedded in fibrous materials to achieve a mechanically reinforced and continuous form. This aerogel blanket can be easily used in many applications. In this study, a silica aerogel blanket has been fabricated through sol–gel process. Aerogel precursors undergo the synthesis steps within the fibreglass matric. The thermal conductivity of the fabricated aerogel blanket was 0.021–0.077 W m−1 K−1 over 20–600°C. The blankets were hydrophobic with a contact angle of 138°. The linear length shrinkage and linear width shrinkage were obtained at 0.12 and 0.22%, respectively. Values of compressive resistance of blankets were 149, 549 and 1700 kPa for 30, 50 and 70% deformation, respectively. The results of hot surface performance, flexibility or rigidity, maximum exothermic temperature rise, and resistance to vibration analyses confirm the excellent thermal and mechanical performance of the fabricated aerogel blankets.