Development of environmentally friendly lightweight aerogel composites as sustainable building materials: High insulation performance and application potential

Abstract

In this study, inexpensive and environmentally friendly aerogel insulation composites were synthesized using diatomite. During the synthesis, raw diatomite, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMS) were used as binders and only water was used as solvent. The freeze-drying method enables the formation of an aerogel structure with low density (0.114 g/cm3) and high porosity (91.50%), making it suitable for applications such as thermal insulation. The final LWA aerogel has a very low thermal conductivity of 0.041 W/(m.K). The synthesized aerogels were combined with ready-made plasterboard to obtain a lightweight aerogel composite. A test box with plasterboard walls was prepared with the obtained LWA composite and the internal temperatures and surface temperatures were measured. Comparative measurements with the test box without LWA composite showed a temperature difference of approximately 7 °C. The use of diatomite without any pre-treatment makes aerogel an environmentally friendly and cost-effective material. It is thought that such innovative materials will contribute to sustainability in industrial applications. In conclusion, the findings of the study reveal that diatomite-based lightweight aerogels offer new opportunities as building materials.