Explore answers to common questions about aerogel and learn more about Naerogel (previously known as Quartzene), its properties, performance, and applications. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, we’d be happy to help. Simply use the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Aerogel is an extremely lightweight and highly porous material made up mostly of air, up to 99.8%. This gives rise to a number of interesting thermal, optical and acoustical properties. It hold the record for the most insulating material as of today.
The materials can look quite similar, but the porosity and thereby the properties are quite different. While the fumed silica is an aggregate of fused nanosized silica and commonly used for thickening and reinforcing, the aerogel structure is more of a sponge with nanosized pores that gives rise to the unique properties. The manufacturing of the two materials is also quite different as the fumed silica is produced by the pyrogenic method while the aerogel typically is produced by a sol-gel process.
Naerogel is a mesoporous silica aerogel powder material produced by Svenska Aerogel in Sweden and used as a functional additive to improve thermal insulation, fire resistance, and lightweight performance in various products across different industries. It is used to reduce heat transfer, enhance safety and light scattering properties in e.g. coatings, building materials, composites, heat barriers as well as other technical products.
Naerogel is a mesoporous silica aerogel based on synthetic amorphous silica. It is available in different grades, including hydrophilic and hydrophobic variants of different particle size, allowing it to be tailored for specific industrial and material applications.
Naerogel is a silica aerogel powder that offers similar properties to traditional aerogels, such as low thermal conductivity and high porosity. Naerogel is however produced in a waterborne process without the use of solvents which makes the manufacturing scalable and efficient. The powder format makes the Naerogel easy to integrate into various commercial products to achieve strong performance.
Naerogel offers similar performance to traditional aerogels but are often more cost-efficient and scalable, making it more suitable for large-scale industrial applications. Naerogel is available as both hydrophilic and hydrophobic powders in a range of particle sizes, including the fine-particle LP5 and BP5 grades for applications requiring improved dispersion or a smoother surface finish. Read more about our products
Naerogel is used as a performance additive in a wide range of industries where thermal insulation, weight reduction, and fire safety are important.
Typical application areas include:
Thermal insulation – paints and coatings, battery insulation, construction materials, insulation systems and thermal insulation films.
Fire protection – plasters, renders, fire-resistant coatings and insulation systems.
Heat reflection – reflective coatings and surface treatments designed to reduce radiant heat transfer.
Textiles and technical fabrics – lightweight materials that benefit from thermal insulation, heat management and enhanced fire protection.
Naerogel has very low thermal conductivity, making it an effective material for reducing heat transfer. The exact value depends on the formulation and application, but it is designed to minimize heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation
Yes, Naerogel is an inorganic and non-combustible silica-based material that contributes to improved fire resistance. When added to materials, it enhances fire performance as it does not produce smoke, it limits heat transfer and can boost char stability when it comes to intumescent paints.
Naerogel is produced using 100% renewable energy in a patented water-based process. Raw materials are sourced locally where possible. Silica is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust after oxygen, with 28% by mass. The Naerogel material often contributes to more energy efficient products during its used lifetime.
Naerogel is sold by Svenska Aerogel and its selected distributors on the global market.
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Naerogel consists of synthetic amorphous silica, meaning it is non-crystalline and hence not classified according to GHS/CLP rules, therefore considered safe. It has undergone the mandatory REACH process where the substance is evaluated from a regulatory and safety perspective. However, as a powder, inhalation and eye contact should be avoided and prolonged contact with the skin can cause dryness due to the porous properties.
The reason for the insulation capacity of the Naerogel lies in its porous structure, which combines long winding solid pathways which conduct heat poorly with the small pore size which effectively limits the conduction of encapsulated air. This is known as the Knudsen effect where the pore sizes are smaller than the mean free path of the gas molecules, meaning an effective hinder for convection is created. Radiation is the third path of heat transfer which becomes dominant at higher temperatures, can be countered with infrared opaque particles in combination with the aerogel.
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