新加坡南洋理工大學已經開發出一種新材料,比起目前市場上使用的絕緣材料,這種新材料能夠讓車輛和建筑物隔音隔熱。
這種被稱為氣凝膠復合材料的新型泡沫,比傳統的絕緣泡沫隔熱能力提高2.6倍。
相比傳統的隔音材料,它可以阻擋80%的外界噪音,高出普通材料30%。
由二氧化硅氣凝膠和一些其它添加劑制成的這種新材料,預計將于明年初投入市場。該產品用途廣泛,包括建筑行業、石油和天然氣行業以及汽車行業。
氣凝膠復合材料是南洋理工大學助理教授Chandrankant Joshi和他的博士生,Mahesh Sachithanadam花費了四年時間開發的。該技術已經發表于同行評議的科學期刊上,并由南洋理工大學的創新和企業部門NTUitive提交了專利申請。
本地公司布朗克斯創意設計中心(Bronx Creative & Design Centre)已獲得氣凝膠復合材料的經營權。該公司已聯合投資的520萬美元,產品工廠將于2017年開始生產。
工廠將生產不同類型的氣凝膠復合材料,如片或板,與目前工業上應用的尺寸保持一致。
助理教授Sunil說,這種新型泡沫很容易安裝和使用,因為它比目前常規泡沫更加薄,還具有更好的性能。
“我們的薄泡沫生產方式也很環保,因為不需要高溫處理,在生產過程中也不產生有毒物質。因此它更加環保,對環境影響小,” 南大機械與宇航工程學院助理教授 Sunil說。
布朗克斯創意設計中心的研發總監Thomas Ng說,這種新材料可以解決市場對于高性能隔熱隔音材料的真正需求。
“隨著全球工業向綠色制造和低碳排放的方向發展,我們生產的新泡沫將有助于解決他們的需要,而且會表現的更好,” Ng先生說。
“我們還要進行研究改良,我們希望在目前的市場上,綠色環保不代表著要在性能上打折扣。我們將于行業伙伴和認證測試實驗室一起合作,以確定相關的標準和認證。”
這個新的氣凝膠復合材料的商標名稱是“Bronx AeroSil”,目前,布朗克斯創意設計中心的首席技術官Mahesh博士正在將其開發成不同的產品。
例如,為了將一輛正在行駛的卡車噪音降低到正常程度,需要15mm厚度的這種新材料。而常規的絕緣泡沫則需要25mm的厚度。
氣凝膠復合材料可降低噪音達80 %,而普通泡沫只降低50個百分點,Mahesh博士解釋說。
對于隔熱能力,Bronx AeroSil比常規泡沫的厚度薄50%,而隔熱能力卻優于其37%,
“對于隔熱隔音的雙重作用,現在,我們可以使用更少的材料來達到同樣的效果,這也能降低材料的使用量和成本,” Mahesh博士說。
除了是良好的隔音隔熱材料,它也是不易燃材料,這對于石油天然氣行業高熱環境下的應用,是非常關鍵的因素。
它還具有彈性,可以承受重物。一塊10公分寬、10公分長,只有15克重的氣凝膠復合材料,可承受高達300公斤重量也不變形。
明年第一季度,布朗克斯創意設計中心將開始為他們的客戶大規模生產氣凝膠復合材料,包括汽車、電子公司、石油和天然氣行業。
技術人員還將繼續研究、優化和完善氣凝膠復合材料的性能,以保持它對其它技術的競爭優勢,Mahesh博士說。(張微/編譯)
以下為英文原文:
Team develops thin foam that keeps vehicles and buildings cooler and quieter
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a new material that will make vehicles and buildings cooler and quieter compared to current insulation materials in the market.
Known as aerogel composites, this new foam insulates against heat 2.6 times better than conventional insulation foam.
When compared to traditional materials used in soundproofing, it can block out 80 per cent of outside noise, 30 per cent more than the usual ones.
Made from silica aerogels with a few other additives, this new material is now ready for commercialisation and is expected to hit the market early next year. The promising product has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications, including in building and construction, oil and gas and the automotive industry.
The aerogel composites took NTU Assoc Prof Sunil Chandrankant Joshi and his then-PhD student, Dr Mahesh Sachithanadam, four years to develop. The technology had been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and a patent has been filed by NTU''s innovation and enterprise arm NTUitive.
A local company, Bronx Creative & Design Center Pte Ltd (BDC), has licensed this aerogel composites technology with a joint venture of S$7 million (USD$5.2 million), and a production plant that will be operational by 2017.
It will produce the aerogel composites in various forms such as sheets or panels, in line with current industry sizes.
Assoc Prof Sunil said the foam will be easy to install and use as it is thinner than conventional foam yet has better performance.
"Our NTU thin foam is also greener to manufacture, as it does not require high heat treatment or toxic materials in its production. It is therefore a lot more eco-friendly and less hazardous to the environment," explained Prof Sunil who is from NTU''s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Mr Thomas Ng, R&D Director of BDC, said this new material could address a real market need for high-performance heat insulation and better sound proofing.
"With the global industries moving towards green manufacturing and a lowered carbon footprint, the new foam we produce will help address their needs and yet give a better performance," Mr Ng said.
"Moving forward, we hope to show the current market that going green doesn''t mean that performance has to be compromised. We will be working with industry partners and certified testing labs to achieve the relevant standards and certifications.
The new aerogel composite has been branded "Bronx AeroSil" by BDC and is being developed for various applications by Dr Mahesh, now the Chief Technology Officer at BDC.
For example, to reduce the noise generated by a truck driving by to that of a normal conversation, only 15mm of the new material would be needed. On the other hand, common insulation foam requires a thickness of 25mm.
The aerogel composite can reduce noise by as much as 80 per cent whereas normal foam only reduces sound by 50 per cent, explained Dr Mahesh.
Against heat, Bronx AeroSil which is 50 per cent thinner than conventional foam will still out-perform it by 37 per cent.
"For both heat insulation and sound-proofing, we can now use less material to achieve the same effect, which will also lower the overall material and logistic costs," Dr Mahesh said.
Apart from being a good thermal and acoustic insulator, it is also non-flammable - a crucial factor for materials used in high heat environments common in the oil and gas industries.
It is also resilient and can withstand high compression or heavy loads. A small 10cm by 10cm piece of the aerogel composite material weighing just 15 grams can take up to 300 kilogrammes of weight, maintaining its shape without being flattened.
In the first quarter of next year, BDC will begin mass producing the aerogel composites for their clients, which include companies from the automotive, electronics, and oil and gas sectors.
Further research and optimisation would be carried out to improve the performance of the aerogel composite material to ensure it maintains its competitiveness edge against other technologies, said Dr Mahesh.
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