Elisa Belloni

Aerogel Plasters for Building Energy Efficiency

Nowadays in many countries, the building sector is the largest energy consumer and one of the best ways to reduce energy demand of buildings is the reduction in heat losses through the envelope. In this scenario, insulating materials with aerogels have growing interest and new applications such as insulating aerogel-based renderings are in development. This chapter deals with the analysis of superinsulating applications for building envelope such as aerogel-incorporated concrete- and aerogel-based renders. After an overall analysis of the market trend for these innovative systems, the rendering compositions, the physics, thermal, acoustic, and hygrothermal properties of aerogel-based renders are discussed. In situ applications of the new developed render are analyzed and the potential of the investigated materials is highlighted, by considering experimental measurements in Sect. 2.4. Finally, a comparison with traditional solutions and the future trends are considered.

Nanogel Windows for Energy Building Efficiency

The chapter deals with the potential of highly energy-efficient windows with silica aerogel for energy saving in buildings. Aerogel is a low-density nanostructured porous material with very low thermal conductivity (about 0.018 W/m K for translucent granular aerogel at room temperature) and excellent acoustic insulation. It is ideal for energy saving in buildings, also due to its good optical transparency. The characteristics of the raw material (silica aerogel for windows: monolithic and translucent granular) are illustrated with general information about the production process, the main chemical and physical properties, and a market overview; then, nanogel windows are discussed and thermal, visual, and acoustic performance are highlighted. A useful worldwide market overview about the commercial products and the main manufactures is also included. Finally, a state-of-the-art review of nanogel windows in building applications is discussed: the potential of the investigated solutions is described by both experimental results and simulation models of the aerogel windows performance, referring to different case studies. Future research, market trends, and costs are also discussed.