Influence of thermal annealing on structural properties of silica aerogel super insulation material

Abstract

Nowadays, aerogel materials are some of the lightest thermal insulation materials available on the construction market; they are produced by the mixing of polymers with solvents since they create a gel. Insulated fibrous-enhanced forms are the most frequently used ones. The type, which is used for thermal insulation, is usually produced by mixing the glass fiber net with the liquid–solid solution. The present paper talks about the structural modifications caused by heat treatment of the aerogel-reinforced with fiberglass. The aerogel probes were subjected to thermal annealing, and once they got isothermal heat treatments for weeks at 70 °C, moreover, untreated samples were subjected to stepwise thermal treatments between 100 and 250 °C for 1 day. Both the heat treatments were executed in dryer equipment under atmospheric air. Changes both in the structure and in chemical bonds of the untreated and annealed samples were followed. Raman spectra have been obtained for the samples. The structural changes have an influence on the studied material as well as in thermal properties. The structural and thermal properties were put under investigation after executing heat treatments on them. Jumps in the thermal conductivity could be connected with some structural changes. Due to the annealing intensity of the peaks connected with Si–O, crystalline SiO is increased, while CH, CH2, CH3, –OH and others are decreased.