Aerogel heat insulating sheet and its manufacturing method and application
The production method for thin aerogel insulation sheets addresses the fragility and thickness issues of conventional composites by ensuring uniform aerogel content and structural strength, enhancing thermal insulation and portability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-11
AI Technical Summary
Conventional aerogel composites are fragile, prone to fractures, and unsuitable for thin applications due to uneven aerogel content and thickness, limiting their use in limited spaces.
A method involving complete immersion of multi-layer fiber sheets in a sol, followed by gel treatment, mesh separation, and supercritical drying to produce a thin aerogel insulation sheet with uniform aerogel content and improved structural strength.
The method enhances production efficiency, reduces breakage risk, and achieves a thin aerogel insulation sheet with 0.3-5 mm thickness and 30-40% aerogel content, offering improved thermal insulation and portability.
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Figure 2026508506000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of functional materials, and more particularly to an aerogel heat insulating sheet and its manufacturing method and application. [Background technology]
[0002] Aerogel, with its high porosity, low density, light weight, and low thermal conductivity, is an insulating material with excellent thermal insulation properties. It is a new material with great potential in areas such as energy conservation and carbon reduction, thermal insulation, cold insulation, and adsorption / diffusion. However, aerogel itself is fragile and prone to forming granular, powdery, or agglomerated forms, limiting its application in many applications. Currently, most applications involve combining aerogel with a fiber substrate to produce aerogel composites, but the overall thickness of the composite makes them unsuitable for use in limited spaces. Therefore, the development of highly efficient, thin aerogel insulation sheets would not only significantly address the shortcomings of conventional aerogel composites, but also contribute to expanding the application fields and improving portability of aerogel composites.
[0003] In the process of producing aerogel insulation sheets using conventional technologies, the structural strength of the fiber substrate itself is insufficient, its thickness is thin, and other factors can cause problems during the production process, such as fractures, incomplete infiltration, and uneven aerogel content, making it difficult to obtain a finished product. Therefore, when combining the thin substrate with aerogel, a new method must be used in the combining process to prevent fractures, ensure a uniform aerogel content in the thin material, and ensure consistent quality of the resulting finished product, thereby producing a thin insulation sheet with high thermal insulation performance. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention aims to provide an aerogel heat insulating sheet.
[0005] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing the above aerogel heat insulating sheet.
[0006] A further object of the present invention is to provide applications for the aerogel heat insulating sheet. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The object of the present invention is achieved by the following technical means.
[0008] The aerogel insulation sheet is produced by completely immersing a multi-layer fiber sheet stacked to a thickness of 20 to 30 mm in a sol, subjecting the soaked fiber sheet to a gel treatment at 20 to 80°C, separating multiple sets of gel-treated fiber sheets with a thickness of 20 to 30 nm using a mesh, stacking them to a thickness of 400 to 600 mm, and then fixing them in a mold. The mold is then placed in a mold barrel containing an ethanol solution and aged at 25 to 40°C to obtain a wet gel fiber sheet, which is then supercritically dried to obtain an aerogel sheet. Further post-treatments such as squeegeeing and dust collection are then performed, and the thickness of the aerogel insulation sheet is 0.3 to 5 mm.
[0009] Preferably, the fiber sheet is one or more of a glass fiber sheet, a ceramic fiber sheet, a pre-oxidized fiber sheet, a blended fiber sheet, or a high silica glass fiber sheet.
[0010] Preferably, the sol is one or more of silica sol, alumina sol, titanium oxide sol, iron oxide sol, magnesium oxide sol, calcium oxide sol, polyacrylamide sol, polyurethane sol, polyacrylate sol, polyacrylonitrile sol, polyimide sol, or epoxy resin sol.
[0011] More preferably, the silica sol is produced by using an organic silicon source or an inorganic silicon source as a sol precursor solvent, adding ethanol and distilled water, further adding NHF as a catalyst, adjusting the pH to 7 to 9 with acetic acid or aqueous ammonia, and carrying out hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions at 20 to 80°C.
[0012] Preferably, the organic silicon source is methyl silicate or ethyl silicate, the inorganic silicon source is water glass, and the mass ratio of the organic silicon source or the inorganic silicon source (water glass, ethanol, and distilled water) is 1:(1-2):(2-4).
[0013] Preferably, the material of the isolation mesh is metal stainless steel or plastic.
[0014] More preferably, the plastic is a polyamide, polycarbonate, polyoxymethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate or polyphenylene ether.
[0015] The method for producing the aerogel heat insulating sheet includes: Step S1 of completely immersing the laminated multilayer fiber sheet in the sol and subjecting the immersed fiber sheet to a gel treatment at 20 to 80°C; Step S2: separating a plurality of gel-treated fiber sheets with a thickness of 20-30 nm with a mesh and stacking them to a thickness of 400-600 mm, and then fixing them in a mold. The mold is placed in a mold barrel containing an ethanol solution and aged at 25-40°C to obtain a wet gel fiber sheet. and step S3 of supercritically drying the wet gel fiber sheet to obtain an aerogel sheet, which is then subjected to post-treatments such as squeegeeing and dust collection to produce an aerogel heat insulating sheet.
[0016] Preferably, the aging time in step S2 is 12 to 24 hours, and the supercritical drying time in step S3 is 8 to 12 hours.
[0017] The aerogel heat insulating sheet can be applied in the fields of new energy power batteries, energy storage batteries, household electrical appliances or electronic devices. [Effects of the Invention]
[0018] The present invention utilizes a fixture to stack fiber sheets into a multi-layer structure, effectively improving the yield of fiber sheet and aerogel composites. After fixture fixation, the multi-layer fiber substrate is integrated, improving the overall structural strength and reducing the risk of breakage during production. At the same time, using a full immersion method for the fixture-fixed substrate effectively increases the sol solution content within the substrate, thereby avoiding a situation where the thin fibers are too thin, resulting in high surface tension of the sol solution and only the surface of the fibers being covered with the solution. In particular, thin fiber substrates of less than 1 mm in thickness are difficult to fully immerse in the sol solution due to their small mass and low structural strength. Furthermore, the use of a mesh isolation method allows the stacked multi-layer thin wet gel sheet material to be grouped during aging and drying, ensuring the appropriate thickness distribution of each group, improving production efficiency and ensuring that the overall thickness of each group of fiber composite aerogel is not too large and the structural strength is uniform, thereby preventing product breakage during transportation and improving yield.
[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0020] 1. In the manufacturing process, the materials (semi-finished or finished products) are less likely to be damaged when transported between different steps. During immersion, they can be completely immersed in the liquid, allowing the fibers to absorb more sol solution, increasing the aerogel content in the aerogel insulation sheet. The thickness of the aerogel insulation sheet is 0.3-5 mm, and the aerogel content in the aerogel insulation sheet is 30%-40%, thereby reducing the thermal conductivity of the product.
[0021] 2. The present invention can increase the number of sheets of material per batch, improving production efficiency, while ensuring that each set of fiber composite aerogel is not too thick and has uniform structural force distribution, preventing product breakage during transportation and improving yield. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a process flow for producing an aerogel heat insulating sheet of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a fixture of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of an isolation mesh of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific examples, but is not limited thereto. Unless otherwise specified, the technical means used in the examples are common means well known to those skilled in the art. Unless otherwise specified, the reagents, methods, and devices used in the present invention are common reagents, methods, and devices in the technical field.
[0024] Example 1 1. Gel preparation: 1 part of methyl silicate (TMOS), ethyl silicate (TEOS) or water glass was used as the sol precursor solvent, 1-2 parts of ethanol and 2-4 parts of distilled water were added, and 0.1 part of NHF was further added. The pH of the above mixture was adjusted to 7-9 with acetic acid or aqueous ammonia, and hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions were carried out at 20-80°C to prepare silica sol.
[0025] 2. Gel treatment: Fiber sheets measuring (1000-1500) mm x (500-1000) mm x (0.3-5) mm were stacked in layers until they reached a thickness of 20-30 mm. Using a custom-designed fixture (see Figure 2), the multi-layer fiber sheet was automatically transported to an immersion tank. The multi-layer fiber sheet was completely immersed in the sol and then transported to a gelation workbench (gel thread length of approximately 3 m) at a speed of approximately 0.1-0.5 m / s. Gel treatment was carried out at 20-80°C, and the gel solution impregnated into the fibers was gelled to produce a gel-treated fiber sheet.
[0026] 3. Aging: Sets of 20-30 mm gel-treated fiber sheets (approximately 20 sheets) were stacked and placed in a stainless steel mold. Each set was separated by a metal mesh (e.g., stainless steel) or an engineering plastic mesh (e.g., polyamide (nylon PA), polycarbonate PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyester (PET, PBT), polyphenylene ether (PPO)) (see Figure 3). The sheets were stacked until they reached a thickness of approximately 500 mm, and the entire mold was fixed in place. The mold was then placed in a mold barrel containing ethanol and aged at 25-40°C for 12-24 hours to obtain wet gel sheets.
[0027] 4. Drying: The aged wet gel sheet was hung in a drying oven and supercritical dried for 8 to 12 hours to extract the solvent from the wet gel sheet and produce aerogel semi-finished products.
[0028] 5. Post-processing: The aerogel sheet semi-finished product in the mold is separated, and the surface of the material is cleaned using automated equipment. After that, post-processing steps such as squeegeeing and dust collection are performed to produce the aerogel insulation sheet. The thickness of the aerogel insulation sheet is 0.3 to 5 mm, and the aerogel content in the aerogel insulation sheet is 30 to 40%. This insulation sheet can be placed in a correspondingly narrow space and has a thermal conductivity of 0.025 W / mK or less.
[0029] Example 2 1. Gel preparation: 1 part of TMOS, TEOS, or water glass was used as a sol precursor solvent, to which 1-2 parts of ethanol and 2-4 parts of distilled water were added, and 0.1 part of NF4H was further added. The pH was adjusted to 7-9 with acetic acid or aqueous ammonia, and hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions were carried out at 20-80°C to prepare silica sol.
[0030] 2. Gel treatment: The sheet-like material of the fiber sheet with the size of (1000-1500) mm × (500-1000) mm × (1) mm was automatically sent into the immersion tank, and the fiber product was completely immersed in the sol, and then sent to the gelation work table (gel thread about 3 m) at a speed of about 0.1-0.5 m / s, and the gel treatment was carried out at 20-80 °C, and the gel solution impregnated into the fiber was gelled, thereby obtaining a gel-treated fiber sheet.
[0031] 3. Aging: A set of 30 mm gel-treated fiber sheets was placed in a stainless steel mold, stacked, and each set was separated by a stainless steel mesh. The sheets were stacked until they reached a thickness of approximately 500 mm, and the entire mold was fixed. The mold was then placed in a mold barrel containing ethanol and aged at 40°C for 20 hours to obtain a wet gel sheet.
[0032] 4. Drying: The aged wet gel sheet was hung in a drying oven and supercritical dried for 8 to 12 hours to extract the solvent from the wet gel sheet and produce aerogel semi-finished products.
[0033] 5. Post-processing: The semi-finished aerogel product is fed into automated equipment, where the surface is cleaned and post-processing steps such as squeegeeing and dust collection are carried out to produce the aerogel insulation sheet. The thickness of the aerogel insulation sheet is 1 mm, and the aerogel content in the aerogel insulation sheet is 30% to 35%. This insulation sheet can be inserted into a space as narrow as 1 mm and has a thermal conductivity of 0.025 W / mK or less.
[0034] Example 3 1. Gel preparation: 1 part of TMOS or TEOS was used as the sol precursor solvent, to which 1 part of ethanol and 3 parts of distilled water were added, and 0.1 part of NHF was further added. The pH was adjusted to 8 with acetic acid or aqueous ammonia, and hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions were carried out at 60°C to prepare silica sol.
[0035] 2. Gel treatment: Glass fiber sheets with dimensions of (1000) mm x (500) mm x (0.5) mm were stacked in multiple layers until the thickness reached 20 mm (approximately 40 sheets), and then automatically fed into an immersion tank using a fixture that was custom designed and customized. The textile product was completely immersed in the sol, and then fed into a gelation workbench at a speed of about 0.1 m / s. The sheet was heated to 80°C for gel treatment, and the gel liquid impregnated into the fibers was gelled, resulting in a gel-treated fiber sheet.
[0036] 3. Aging: A set of 30 mm gel-treated fiber sheets was placed in a stainless steel mold, stacked, and each set was separated by a stainless steel mesh. The sheets were stacked until they reached a thickness of approximately 500 mm, and the entire mold was fixed. The mold was then placed in a mold barrel containing ethanol and aged at 40°C for 20 hours to obtain a wet gel sheet.
[0037] 4. Drying: The aged wet gel sheet was hung in a drying oven and supercritical dried for 12 hours to extract the solvent from the wet gel sheet and produce aerogel semi-finished products.
[0038] 5. Post-processing: The semi-finished aerogel product was divided, and the surface of the material was cleaned using automated equipment. Post-processing steps such as squeegeeing and dust collection were then performed to produce an aerogel insulation sheet. The thickness of the aerogel insulation sheet was 0.5 mm, and the aerogel content in the aerogel insulation sheet was 35% to 40%. The aerogel insulation sheet could fit into a narrow space of 0.5 mm and had a thermal conductivity of 0.025 W / mK or less.
[0039] The above examples are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above examples. Any other changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, and simplifications made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention should be considered as equivalent substitutions and fall within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An aerogel insulation sheet, the aerogel insulation sheet being produced by completely immersing a multilayer fiber sheet stacked to a thickness of 20 to 30 mm in a sol, subjecting the soaked fiber sheet to a gel treatment at 20 to 80°C, separating a plurality of sets of gel-treated fiber sheets each having a thickness of 20 to 30 nm with a mesh, stacking them to a thickness of 400 to 600 mm, fixing them in a mold, and then placing the mold in a mold barrel containing an ethanol solution and aging them at 25 to 40°C to obtain a wet gel fiber sheet, which is then supercritically dried, and further undergoing post-treatments such as squeegeeing and dust collection, the thickness of the aerogel insulation sheet being 0.3 to 5 mm.
2. 2. The aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 1, wherein the fiber sheet is one or more of a glass fiber sheet, a ceramic fiber sheet, a pre-oxidized fiber sheet, a blended fiber sheet, or a high-silica glass fiber sheet.
3. 2. The aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 1, wherein the sol is one or more of silica sol, alumina sol, titanium oxide sol, iron oxide sol, magnesium oxide sol, calcium oxide sol, polyacrylamide sol, polyurethane sol, polyacrylate sol, polyacrylonitrile sol, polyimide sol, and epoxy resin sol.
4. The aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 3, characterized in that the silica sol is produced by using an organic silicon source or an inorganic silicon source as a sol precursor solvent, adding ethanol and distilled water, further adding NH4F as a catalyst, adjusting the pH to 7 to 9 with acetic acid or aqueous ammonia, and carrying out hydrolysis and polycondensation reactions at 20 to 80°C.
5. 5. The aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 4, wherein the organic silicon source is methyl silicate or ethyl silicate, the inorganic silicon source is water glass, and the mass ratio of the organic silicon source or the inorganic silicon source (water glass, ethanol, and distilled water) is 1:(1-2):(2-4).
6. 2. The aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 1, wherein the material of the isolation mesh is metal stainless steel or plastic.
7. 7. The aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 6, wherein the plastic is polyamide, polycarbonate, polyoxymethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, or polyphenylene ether.
8. A method for producing the aerogel heat insulating sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 7, Step S1: completely immersing the laminated multilayer fiber sheet in the sol and subjecting the immersed fiber sheet to a gel treatment at 20 to 80°C; Step S2: A plurality of gel-treated fiber sheets having a thickness of 20-30 nm are separated by a mesh and stacked to a thickness of 400-600 mm, and then fixed in a mold. The mold is placed in a mold barrel containing an ethanol solution and aged at 25-40°C to obtain a wet gel fiber sheet. and step S3 of supercritically drying the wet gel fiber sheet to obtain an aerogel sheet, and then subjecting the sheet to post-treatments such as squeegeeing and dust collection to produce the aerogel heat insulating sheet.
9. 9. The method for producing an aerogel heat insulating sheet according to claim 8, wherein the aging time in step S2 is 12 to 24 hours, and the supercritical drying time in step S3 is 8 to 12 hours.
10. The application of the aerogel heat insulating sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 7 in the fields of new energy power batteries, energy storage batteries, household electrical appliances or electronic devices.