Silica aerogel-based thermal insulation coating (SA-coating) was prepared from a commercial acrylic binder. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the effectiveness of SA-coating with the application in energy-efficient home design for temperature insulation purposes. The weather acceleration test and thermal insulation property of SA-coating were investigated and compared to the original commercial binder. The weather acceleration test of SA-coating showed equivalent weathering stability and robustness compared to the original binder. The thermal insulation property was performed from an in-lab setup, called temperature difference (TD) measurement. In a closed chamber, without air circulation, the surface temperature with SA-coating was reduced by as much as 26 degrees from 90°C to ~64°C. More so, if TD measurement was performed in a ventilated area, the temperature can be reduced from 50°C to 36°C (room temperature was 31 °C). The thermal conductivity of the coating at different temperatures was also measured. The water contact angle measurements and the scanning electron micrographs showed that SA-coating can be made hydrophilic to hydrophobic by simple abrasion.
This paper highlights application of the MTPS method of C-Therm's Trident Thermal Conductivity Analyzer.