Researchers of the University of Tehran (Iran) have attempted to boost the insulating behavior of two different acrylic resins by incorporating silica aerogels. Both resins were produced using methyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and acrylic acid monomers, but one resin additionally contained named acrylamide (AAm).
Unsurprisingly, the thermal properties of the resins were improved by the addition of silica aerogel. However, the mechanical properties (e.g. hardness and pull-off strength), which are a key factor for the application of resins as coating films, were shown to deteriorate in the presence of silica aerogels for the resin without AAm. In contrast to that, the resin containing AAm exhibited outstanding mechanical features, which was related to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the aerogel and the acrylamide monomers, ensuring a more homogeneous dispersion of aerogel particles in the resin (see SEM image on the right). The authors therefore concluded that the acrylic resin modified with acrylamide and silica aerogel particles can be used as an insulating roof coating to reduce the thermal losses in buildings.
It will be interesting to witness whether further developments in this field will transform aerogel containing paints to an integral part of energy efficient infrastructure.
More details: Karami et al. Improvement of thermal properties of pigmented acrylic resin using silica aerogel, Journal of Applied Polymer Science (2017). DOI: 10.1002/app.45640 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/app.45640/full
