Aerogels as innovative insulation materials - a range of acoustic properties

Abstract

Aerogels are highly porous solids that are manufactured in a sol-gel process with subsequent supercritical drying. In this process materials with a porosity of more than 95 percent can be created, which have a very low density due to the high proportion of air. They also have good sound absorption properties and a very low thermal conductivity. This makes them a promising basis for solutions with a diverse and consistently high level of insulation. Because of the extraordinary properties described above, aerogels offer solutions for various industries, for example aviation. In addition, the acoustic properties of these materials can be tailored to fulfil the specific requirements of the application for example the absorption in different frequency ranges. The material properties can be influenced by different ingredients or variations in the manufacturing process. The focus of this work is an examination of different samples which will give an insight in the possible range of acoustic and physical properties.