Organic Insulation Materials Research Articles

A Comprehensive Review and Recent Trends in Thermal Insulation Materials for Energy Conservation in Buildings

In recent years, energy conservation became a strategic goal to preserve the environment, foster sustainability, and preserve valuable natural resources. The building sector is considered one of the largest energy consumers globally. Therefore, insulation plays a vital role in mitigating the energy consumption of the building sector. This study provides an overview of various organic and inorganic insulation materials, recent trends in insulation systems, and their applications, advantages, and disadvantages, particularly those suitable for extreme climates. Moreover, natural and composite materials that can be used as a low-cost, thermally efficient, and sustainable option for thermal insulation are discussed along with their thermal properties-associated problems, and potential solutions that could be adopted to utilize natural and sustainable options. Finally, the paper highlights factors affecting thermal performance and essential considerations for choosing a particular insulation system for a particular region. It is concluded that the most commonly used insulation materials are found to have several associated problems and there is a strong need to utilize sustainable materials along with advanced materials such as aerogels to develop novel composite insulation materials to overcome these deficiencies.

Effect of Thickness on the Breakdown Characteristics of Organic Insulation Materials under Microsecond Pulse Voltage

Effect of Thickness on the Breakdown Characteristics of Organic Insulation Materials under Microsecond Pulse Voltage

A Study on the Evaluation of Thermal Insulation Performance of Cellulose-Based Silica Aerogel Composite Building Materials.

Buildings utilize both inorganic and organic insulation materials to conserve energy and prevent heat loss. However, while exhibiting excellent thermal insulation performance, organic insulation materials increase the risk of fire due to the emission of intense heat and toxic smoke in the event of a fire. Conversely, inorganic insulation materials are characterized by a lower thermal insulation performance, leading to an increase in the weight of the building with extensive use. Therefore, the necessity for research into new insulation materials that address the drawbacks of existing ones, including reducing weight, enhancing fire resistance, and improving thermal insulation performance, has been recognized. This study focuses on evaluating the enhancement of the thermal insulation performance using novel building materials compared to conventional ones. The research methodology involved the incorporation of porous aerogel powders into paper-based cellulose insulation to improve its insulating properties. Samples were prepared in standard 100 × 100 mm2 panel forms. Two control groups were utilized: a pure control group, where specimens were fabricated using 100% recycled cardboard for packaging, and a mixed control group, where specimens were produced using a mixture ratio of 30 wt% ceramic binder and 40 wt% expandable graphite. Experimental group specimens were prepared by increasing the aerogel content from 200 to 1000 mL under each condition of the control groups (pure and mixed) after mixing. The thermal insulation performance of the specimens was evaluated in terms of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity according to ISO 22007-2 (for solids, paste, and powders). Through this study, it was found that the thermal insulation performances of the pure control and experimental groups improved by 16.66%, while the mixed control and experimental groups demonstrated a 17.06% enhancement in thermal insulation performance with the addition of aerogel.

Binary-Network structured PI@SiO2 nanofibrous composite aerogels with temperature invariant superelasticity for thermal insulation

The extreme temperatures encountered in aerospace pose formidable challenges to the performance of elastic materials in spacecraft and related apparatus. Traditional organic insulation materials face hindrance due to inadequate fire resistance, while inorganic insulation materials are often brittle. Herein, we designed binary-network composite aerogels with dual-crosslinked PI nanofibers as the scaffold and uniformly distributed silica nanoparticles within the anisotropic aerogel matrix. Owing to the dual-crosslinked PI nanofiber network, the resulting PI@SiO2 aerogel can withstand 1000 cycles of radial fatigue testing under 50 % compressive or buckling strains, maintaining structural stability across a wide angular frequency range of 0.1–100 rad/s. DMA testing shows that PI@SiO2 aerogel can endure 100,000 fatigue cycles from 25 to 300 °C, with storage modulus and loss modulus, and damping ratio, indicating robust long-term performance over a wide temperature spectrum. Even with liquid nitrogen (−196 °C) and butane torch flames (1100 °C), PI@SiO2 aerogel preserves its superelasticity through repeated compressions. Moreover, the composite aerogel exhibits excellent thermal insulation, with low thermal conductivity (27.2 mW m−1 K−1), and reachs the top flame-retardant level (UL94-V0). This work not only establishes a novel pathway for constructing polymer-based materials with temperature-invariant superelasticity but also holds great promise for extensive applications in ongoing and near-future aerospace exploration.

The Influence of the Addition of Basalt Powder on the Properties of Foamed Geopolymers.

Geopolymers are binder materials that are produced by a chemical reaction between silica or aluminum compounds with an alkaline activating solution. Foamed geopolymer materials are increasingly being cited as a viable alternative to popular organic insulation materials. Since the foaming process of geopolymers is difficult to control, and any achievements in improving the performance of such materials are extremely beneficial, this paper presents the effect of the addition of basalt powder on the properties of foamed geopolymers. This paper presents the results of physicochemical studies of fly ash and basalt, as well as mechanical properties, thermal properties, and structure analysis of the finished foams. The scope of the tests included density tests, compressive strength tests, tests of the thermal conductivity coefficient using a plating apparatus, as well as microstructure tests through observations using light and scanning microscopy. Ground basalt was introduced in amounts ranging from 0 to 20% by mass. It was observed that the addition of basalt powder contributes to a reduction in and spheroidization of pores, which directly affect the density and pore morphology of the materials tested. The highest density of 357.3 kg/m3 was characterized by samples with a 5 wt.% basalt powder addition. Their density was 14% higher than the reference sample without basalt powder addition. Samples with 20 wt.% basalt addition had the lowest density, and the density averaged 307.4 kg/m3. Additionally, for the sample containing 5 wt.% basalt powder, the compressive strength exceeded 1.4 MPa, and the thermal conductivity coefficient was 0.1108 W/m × K. The effect of basalt powder in geopolymer foams can vary depending on many factors, such as its chemical composition, grain size, content, and physical properties. The addition of basalt above 10% causes a decrease in the significant properties of the geopolymer.

Cu-doped NiO for detection of CO,CO2 and CF4 in SF6 circuit breaker organic insulation material: A first-principles study

In this paper, based on density functional theory, use the reliable Cu atom to modify the surface of NiO. The competitive adsorption performance, sensitive characteristics and desorption performance of the Cu-NiO molecular model for CO, CO2 and CF4 gas are studied. The results showed that The stable state of gas molecules has an impact on the adsorption behavior, especially CO2 and CF4. However, Cu-NiO promotes electron exchange for CO adsorption, obtaining higher adsorption energy(Eads=−2.043eV), and exhibits stable desorption characteristics as the temperature gradually increases. This indicates that Cu-NiO has a high sensitivity and selectivity for CO adsorption.

Thermal, acoustic, and fire performance characterization of textile face mask waste for use as low-cost building insulation material

Environmental issues are becoming increasingly important, and researchers are developing new technologies and models to reduce environmental impact. The circular economy is a production and consumption model that involves sharing, borrowing, reusing, repairing, reconditioning and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. This study focuses on the concept of reuse and, specifically, how to reduce waste generated by pandemics through recycling and reusing facemasks made of polyamide fabric. Facemasks can be reused to refurbish buildings in low-income contexts. To assess the reutilization potential of recycled bulk polyamide fiber, thermal, acoustic, and fire performance properties were assessed experimentally. The results show that they are comparable to commercial insulation materials such as glass wool and mineral wool in terms of thermal conductivity, while also demonstrating good sound absorption performance at medium and high frequencies (greater thickness and density will increase the amount of insulation and sound absorption). The material's fire performance is similar to that of other synthetic insulation materials, such as EPS. However, the performance is worse than for common organic insulation materials, such as cellulose. Finally, a low-cost, self-portable insulation panel concept designed for indoor installation was tested for material performance. Considering these properties, this solution may represent a significant opportunity to enhance thermal and acoustic comfort in vulnerable energy-poor households, bringing clear environmental benefits and positive social implications.

A robust adhesion between extruded polystyrene foam and mortar through different chemical linkages under ultraviolet-ozone irradiation

The inert surface of extruded polystyrene foam (XPSF) was activated by the ultraviolet-ozone (UVO) irradiation, followed by the surface coupling reactions with γ-mercaptopropyl trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and vinyl triethylsilane (VTEO) to improve the interfacial affinity between the organic XPSF and inorganic mortar. The reaction conditions (including reaction time, concentration and pH of the silanes) were thoroughly investigated in order to reach the maximum bonding strength (BS) of XPSF/mortar composites. It was suggested that the presence of MPTMS could increase the BS value from 0.04 MPa to 0.178 MPa (reaction time: 10 min, concentration of MPTMS: 2% and pH value of the silane solution: 4). For VTEO, the maximum BS value reached to 0.140 MPa (activation and reaction time: 7 and 3 min, concentration of VTEO: 5% and pH value of the silane solution: 7). According to the mechanism analysis, the thiol groups in MPTMS have the strongest reactivity with activated XPSF surface after UVO exposure, leading to the maximized interfacial strength between the organic insulation materials and inorganic mortar.

Diffusion Behavior of Greases in Interfaces in Organic Insulation Materials

The diffusion of greases in organic insulation materials, which is the core parameter of the electrical and mechanical long-term behavior of the interface, is studied. The diffusion of grease depends both on the solid organic insulation material and on the grease. The highest diffusion can be observed by the combination of a silicone paste and silicone rubber. However, for silicone rubber there are low and no diffusion lubricants existing.The diffusion in EPDM, EP and XLPE is commonly much lower. In EP and XLPE, no type-dependency of the grease can be observed. With the knowledge of the diffusion behavior, the desired interface properties can be achieved for the whole lifespan of the apparatus.

Toxicity characteristics and fire retardant performance of commercially manufactured organic insulation materials for building applications

Traditionally, insulation materials have been developed to prevent heat loss or gain in buildings. Polymer compounds such as polyurethane, polystyrene, and polyethylene have been used to improve the performance of insulation materials during the modern industrialization process. However, because most insulating materials based on complex organic chemicals are combustible, they are susceptible to fire, and there are limitations such as the emission of harmful chemicals. The reason for the high number of casualties caused by insulation materials in building fires is that insulation materials based on complex chemical substances generate a large number of toxic gases, which causes suffocation. Therefore, the fire resistance performance of five types of insulation materials used in actual construction sites was evaluated in this study. Based on the total heat release (THR) and heat release rate (HRR), phenolic foam (PF) was the insulation material that satisfied the criteria of the non-combustible grade as a result of the flame-retardant performance evaluation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used to perform a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of gaseous hazardous substances generated during the combustion of insulating materials by ISO 19702. The Fractional effective dose (FED) value was derived using the results of the analyses of eight gases by ISO 13344.

Toxicity Characteristics and Fire Retardant Performance of Commercially Manufactured Organic Insulation Materials for Building Applications

Toxicity Characteristics and Fire Retardant Performance of Commercially Manufactured Organic Insulation Materials for Building Applications

Study on Permanent Thermal Insulation Formwork of Mass Concrete Prepared by Different Types of Nano-modified Lightweight Aggregate

Aiming at the problems of low strength, flammability, easy falling off, and aging of traditional organic thermal insulation materials, inorganic thermal insulation materials of different types of nano-modified lightweight aggregates were prepared in this paper. The feasibility of preparing permanent thermal insulation formwork of mass concrete with nano-modified lightweight aggregate was studied through experiments and calculation analysis of mechanical, durability, and thermal properties. The results show that the water absorption of shale ceramsite modified by nano-permeable hydrophobic agent is reduced to 1.21%, and the water absorption rate of inorganic precast hollow aggregate produced by nano-silica powder is lower, which is 0.79%. Inorganic precast hollow aggregate concrete, modified shale ceramsite concrete, and organic foamed aggregate concrete have the characteristics of high strength, fire resistance, aging resistance and low thermal conductivity. Inorganic precast hollow aggregate concrete and modified shale ceramsite concrete have excellent impermeability and frost resistance. Organic foamed aggregate concrete has the lowest thermal conductivity and good thermal insulation effect and its durability can be improved by surface protection technology. According to the principle of equivalent surface heat release coefficient, it is feasible to use lightweight aggregate precast formwork as permanent insulation formwork of mass concrete with thickness between 50 and 100 cm. The permanent thermal insulation formwork of nano-modified lightweight aggregate concrete can also be used as the formwork for concrete construction to realize the temperature control measures of tracking thermal insulation and slow cooling of mass concrete, reduce the risk of cracking, and improve the construction efficiency.

Flame‐retardant cellulose nanofiber aerogel modified with graphene oxide and sodium montmorillonite and its fire‐alarm application

Thermal insulation materials (TIMs) are widely used to realize energy conservation in buildings, but most of the commonly used organic TIMs are flammable. A novel biomass‐based aerogel is produced by an environmentally friendly vacuum freeze‐drying method, and a facile approach is proposed to improve the flame‐retardant performance of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) aerogels by modifying them with graphene oxide (GO) and montmorillonite (MMT). GO and MMT form a barrier that blocks the contact between the composite aerogel and the external oxygen, achieving the flame‐retardation effect. Notably, based on the high‐temperature thermal reduction characteristic of GO, a fire‐alarm system that can provide an ultrasensitive and reliable fire‐warning signal is designed. A fire alarm of CNF‐MMT‐GO‐50% can be triggered in approximately 1.9 seconds and lasts for more than 137.0 seconds when the aerogels are attacked by fire. This work helps to develop advanced TIMs to solve the shortcomings of traditional organic insulation materials and supplies a newfangled idea for the design of fire‐alarm sensors, showing promising applications in building insulation, firefighting, and chemical industry.

Evaluation of the Use of Lignocellusic Biomass in Thermal Insulation for Green Building

Preserving the temperature of the indoor environment within the acceptable limits during the cold weather using a minimal amount of energy consumption is an important factor in the modern housing systems and green buildings. Therefore, this study aims to provide eco-friendly insulation material (organic material). The utlised organic material in this study was Lignocellusic Biomass (it is also known as Poaceae common reed, and Phragmites australis) and straw. The insulation efficiency of this organic matter was evaluated via testing its performance under controlled conditions. The experimental work included three types of insulation, namely organic insulation (straw and reeds), industrial insulation material (fiberglass), and bricks (without insulation). The insulation level was monitored using an infrared camera. The thermal profile was created for each insulation scenario. The results showed that the efficiency of the organic insulation was similar to the fiberglass; only a 0.84% difference was noticed between the industrial and the organic insulation materials in terms of efficiency, which proves that the Lignocellusic Biomass is a potential eco-friendly alternative for the industrial insulation materials.

Fire Risk Rating Evaluation of Organic Insulation Materials

Fire Risk Rating Evaluation of Organic Insulation Materials

Uncertain multi-criteria sustainability assessment of green building insulation materials

Sustainability assessment is the key procedure applied for selecting building insulation materials in order to ensure satisfactory performance and long-term impacts on society and environment. Insulation of buildings is considered as a very efficient energy saving technique leading to significant reduction in GHG emission. There are many building insulation materials and technologies ranging from traditional inorganic synthetic to organic natural ones which are based on recyclable and renewable biological resources. The paper aims to propose a framework for sustainability assessment of insulation materials for buildings. The interval TOPSIS method is applied for multi-criteria assessment. The results of multi-criteria sustainability assessment of organic and inorganic building insulation materials revealed that recycled glass and sheep wool appear as the most desirable options when different scenarios are assumed.

Experimental investigations of wooden beam ends in masonry with interior insulation: Measured data in real-scale experimental walls exposed to semi-continental climatic conditions

This article deals with the hygrothermal performance of wooden beam ends embedded in brick masonry walls. The real-scale experiment involving three interior insulation systems with different water vapor resistances and different treatments of joist pockets was monitored for three consecutive years. The moisture load of test walls was controlled during the experiment. First, humidity of indoor air was increased in the cold season (2016–2017). Then, an artificial short-time intensive rain event brought liquid water onto the external surface of the test walls in July 2017. Despite relatively mild external climatic loads, relative humidity was unsatisfactorily high in unsealed joist pockets. Vapor and airtight sealing of the joist pockets improved the microclimate of the wooden beam ends. However, even in this case, relative humidity approached critical values for the onset of mold growth. The artificial rain load applied on the experimental walls noticeably worsened the hygrothermal conditions in the joist pockets. Relative humidity in the joist pockets further increased to a level where massive mold growth could be expected. Visual inspection of the wooden beam ends during reconstruction of the experiment, however, revealed only a small spot of mold on a single beam located in an unsealed joist pocket. Mold growth on samples of organic thermal insulation material was found by microscopic investigations. Molds were localized in small separated colonies. These in situ and laboratory investigations do not confirm the calculated values of mold growth index. In conclusion, sealing of wooden beam ends improved their hygrothermal performance in the experiment.

Improvement of performance of foam perlite thermal insulation material by the design of a triple-hierarchical porous structure

Inorganic thermal insulation materials are incombustible, cheap, and perdurable, and can thus effectively avoid such shortcomings of organic materials. Nevertheless, the physical properties, such as thermal conductivity and apparent density, are usually not as good as the organic thermal insulation materials. In present work, we designed and synthesized a new kind of inorganic thermal insulation material with admirable and intriguing triple-hierarchical porous structures by combining the ambient temperature foam method and simple heat treatment. The final products contained triple-hierarchical pores in the range of hundreds of microns, several microns to tens of microns, and submicrons to several microns. Compared to products without heat treatment, the apparent density of this kind of inorganic thermal insulation material was 0.148 g·cm−3, which decreased by 15%, and the compressive strength was 0.30 MPa; the thermal conductivity reached 0.047 W·m − 1·K − 1 which reduced by 10%, and the softening coefficient (the ratio of the samples’ strength under saturation with that in dry condition) was improved from 0 to ∼80%. Therefore, this work not only provided a new type of thermal insulation material with hierarchical pores, but also has great significance for the design of inorganic thermal insulation materials with high performance.

Thermal Insulation Properties of Organic and Inorganic Material in Clay Brick - A Review

Pore forming agent is widely used in clay brick making process whether originally organics or inorganics materials which can improve thermal insulation facing global warming issue. Many researchers trigged to discover the thermal insulation materials since the past decade due to responsibility to develop a comfort living demand for heating or cooling. This paper review on different types of thermal inorganic and organic insulation materials added into a clay brick to improve the thermal insulation properties. The scope of these reviews lies to the materials of; paper residue, rice husk, rice husk ash, olive stone flour, wheat straw, perlite, cigarette butt, vermiculite, waste marble powder and waste glass sludge. The discussions are made based on the properties of organic and inorganic materials used in improving the thermal insulation in clay brick. Hence, a throughout review of the composition and properties of brick and various factor related to manufacturing process is highly required for better standardization of clay bricks. A better understanding of different wastes incorporating clay brick utilize of various mining and industrial as well as achieving the goal of sustainable development.

Exploration of Properties of Organic Insulation Materials in Power System

In order to effectively monitor the leakage current on the surface of organic materials, based on the existing research status, the relevant research results at home and abroad are analysed profoundly, and a more advanced system is designed to measure and monitor the leakage current on the surface of organic materials. The hardware circuit (main control circuit, differential amplifier circuit, filter circuit, power supply circuit and communication interface circuit) and software system (main program, data acquisition subroutine, data processing subroutine, communication subroutine, etc.) of the monitoring system are designed, respectively. Generally speaking, some researches are carried out on the carbonization and leakage current measurement of organic materials, and it also lays a theoretical foundation for the follow-up related research.