Thin aerogel materials
AssigneeAspen Aerogels, Inc.
InventorsOwen Evans, Nicholas Zafiropoulos, Shannon White, Wenting Dong, Wendell Rhine
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides a fiber-reinforced aerogel material which can be used as insulation. The fiber-reinforced aerogel material is highly durable, flexible, and has a thermal performance that exceeds the insulation materials currently used. The fiber-reinforced aerogel insulation material can be as thin as 1 mm or less, and can have a thickness variation as low as 2% or less. Also provided is a method for improving the performance of a battery by incorporating a reinforced aerogel material into the battery. Further provided is a casting method for producing thin fiber-reinforced aerogel materials.
Claims20
A method for producing a reinforced aerogel composite, the method comprising:
- combining a sol-gel solution and a reinforcement material;
- applying pressure to the combined sol-gel solution and reinforcement, wherein the applied pressure defines a thickness of the combined sol-gel solution and reinforcement;
- allowing the sol-gel solution to form a reinforced gel composite;
- drying the reinforced gel composite to form a reinforced aerogel composite;
- and
- wherein, responsive to the applied pressure, the reinforced aerogel composite has a thickness of from 0.75 millimeters (mm) to 10 mm and a thickness variation of less than 15%.
A method of forming a battery thermal insulating layer comprising:
- fabricating a reinforced aerogel composite including;
- combining a sol-gel solution and a reinforcement material;
- applying pressure to the combined sol-gel solution and reinforcement, wherein the applied pressure defines a thickness of the combined sol-gel solution and reinforcement;
- allowing the sol-gel solution to form a reinforced gel composite;
- drying the reinforced gel composite to form a reinforced aerogel composite;
- and
- wherein, responsive to the applied pressure, the reinforced aerogel composite has a thickness of from 0.75 millimeters (mm) to 10 mm and a thickness variation of less than 15%;
- and
- incorporating the reinforced aerogel composition into a battery.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.