Unlike traditional insulation materials, cutting-edge technologies like aerogel and phase change materials offer unparalleled thermal efficiency and durability. They also boast superior acoustic properties and are environmentally friendly.
These innovations are helping reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, they help create a more comfortable indoor environment by minimizing heating and cooling costs.
Insulated Concrete Formwork
Insulated concrete formwork is a concrete building system that utilizes a concrete mass sandwiched between two layers of insulating material. The result is a building that is energy efficient, disaster resilient and offers elevated comfort for its occupants.
ICF blocks are designed with interlocking seams that allow them to be dry-stacked into position before being filled with concrete. Once erected, the forms will not only serve as the concrete structure’s insulation but also provide structural reinforcement. The construction process is quick and easy, requiring little skilled labour. The insulated concrete forms are braced and reinforced according to manufacturer recommendations to reduce the possibility of blowouts during placement of concrete.
The blocks are typically made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), woodcrete or a combination of both. EPS is preferred for its light weight, enhanced mechanical properties, dimensional stability, shock and chemical resistance and recyclability. It is also an excellent thermal insulator with an advertised R-value up to 20 percent higher than traditional wood framing.
The concrete is poured into the insulated concrete forms, and once set, the forms will not shift, deflate or blow out, leaving the finished wall with high airtightness that prevents vapor transmission and mold. In addition, a concrete-insulated foundation will offer superior earthquake and hurricane resilience as well as reduced noise transmission. In sound transmission tests, ICF walls allow less than one-third as much sound to pass through, making for quieter homes.
Aerogel
Aerogel is a low-density solid with incredibly high thermal insulation properties. It is a gel-like material that is made from silica, a common natural mineral. Silica has tiny pores in it that aren’t visible to the naked eye, and these pores make it a great insulator. Aerogels are usually in pellet form, but they can also be combined with batting to create insulating blankets or filled in between panes of glass to create translucent panels for daylighting applications.
This new insulation is a good choice for residential and commercial construction. It can save money on energy bills while providing a safe and comfortable environment for occupants. It can even reduce the need for HVAC systems by reducing airflow and decreasing temperatures.
Scientists are working to develop more efficient insulation materials, including biodegradable foam and insulation made from plant waste that can be injected into walls or roofs. They’re also creating insulation with a textured surface that can prevent water absorption and improve air tightness.
Other innovations include smart technology integrated into insulation materials to provide a more personalized and sustainable climate control system. They can monitor environmental conditions to adjust the temperature and humidity automatically. They can also include phase change materials that absorb and release thermal energy to reduce HVAC usage. And they can incorporate superconductors to increase the current-carrying capacity and reduce energy losses, ensuring that more electricity is transmitted with less resistance.
Vacuum Insulated Panels
Vacuum Insulated Panels, also known as VIPs, are flat panels for optimized temperature insulation that offer unparalleled heat insulation at minimum thickness. They consist of a pressure-resistant core material hermetically enclosed in a high barrier film in which air has been pumped out during the manufacturing process. The hermetically sealed envelope and the void inside minimize thermal conductivity, which allows VIPs to have a much lower k-value than both traditional and state of the art insulation materials 1-3.
These extremely thin hermetically-sealed VIPs are made from a rigid fumed silica core, which is hermetically wrapped in a special, very thin multilayer foil in which the air has been evacuated. The low permeability of the envelope to gases and water vapor, combined with the insulating properties of the micro-porous silica core, results in a minimal thermal conductivity value of only 0.007 W/mK at 50 mbar gas pressure – significantly lower than fiberglass batts or EPS and XPS foam insulation.
The material for the metallized multilayer foil is usually plastics or metals like aluminium. It is typically laminated with a glass layer to protect against external contamination and moisture penetration, which would significantly reduce the lifespan of the VIP and reduce its insulating performance. Moreover, the hermetically-sealed void between the glass layer and the aluminium foil also significantly reduces the thermal transmittance of the VIP. This type of insulation can be used in a wide range of applications such as refrigerators, window frames, door frames and walls and doors of buildings and vehicles.
Smart Materials
Drugs that release themselves in the bloodstream at the first sign of infection, buildings that react to changing climatic conditions and mobile phone screens that repair themselves – all these innovations are possible thanks to smart materials. Smart materials are designed to respond to a variety of external stimuli, including mechanical strain, changes in electric and magnetic fields, temperatures, light and chemical compounds.
Smart materials are a new emerging field in materials science that combine contemporary material science with information science and provide the ability to perform multiple functions in a controlled manner. They have the potential to surpass even human organs in some areas.
Some examples of smart materials are shape memory alloy, piezoelectric material and electroactive polymer. Shape memory alloy is a type of metal that can deform under pressure and return to its original shape. It is used in high-tech devices, including miniature actuators and micro electromechanical systems.
Piezoelectric material is another example of a smart material that produces voltage when stress is applied to it. It can also produce a change in the volume of its material when subjected to an electric field. These materials can be used in a range of applications, from sound recording and sensing to energy generation and vibration control. They are also being developed to be used in biomedical applications.