Cabot’s business unit, Cabot Aerogel has announced that it will introduce its latest ultra-performance thermal insulation additive for coatings called Enova aerogel at the European Coatings Show to be conducted from 29 to 31 March 2011 in Nuremberg, Germany.
The Enova has aerogel in particle form and every particle is comprised of over 90% air entrapped within an amorphous silica network, resulting in an insulating material that is two times better than still air. This aerogel allows coatings to provide enhanced comfort, safety, asset protection and energy consumption.
The Enova aerogel has low thermal conductivity of 12 mW/mK than additives like ceramic or glass microspheres, and conventional insulation materials like polyurethane foam. When utilized in water-based formulations, the resulting coating product can exhibit a thermal conductivity range of between 30 and 50 mW/mK, which means that it provides insulation 7 to 10 times greater than normal paint.
Cabot scientists have tested the aerogel for safe touch temperature as per the testing protocols of Europe and the US. The results showed that covering a metal surface having a surface temperature of 200°C with a 1 mm Enova aerogel-based coating prevents the skin from first-degree burns. The application of 2 mm coating reduces energy wastage by 30% for non-insulated metal vessels sustained at 70°C.
The Enova aerogel is a strong material and can be integrated with formulations utilizing regular methods. The company produces the aerogel at its modern plant in Frankfurt, Germany where distribution, pore dimensions and porosity of the materials are controlled. The product is safe to the environment and human being. It is widely utilized in challenging applications of architectural daylighting and insulation of gas and subsea oil pipeline across the globe.
Source: http://www.cabot-corp.com