Synthesis of lightweight and low thermal conductivity inorganic polymer composites
NOVAIS R. 1, ALVES Z. 1, SENFF L. 2, LABRINCHA J. 1
1 Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering / CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; 2 Mobility Engineering Center, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Joinville, Brazil
In 2021 buildings were responsible for 30% of the global final energy consumption, and roughly 10 Gt of CO2 emissions. These values are distressing, particularly considering the current climate change scenario and show the urgent need to implement novel strategies that can strongly mitigate the energy consumption of this sector to get on track with the net zero emissions scenario by 2050. One stimulating approach to decrease buildings’ energy consumption is the development of lightweight and low thermal conductivity materials, which may decrease the energy losses inside buildings. Inorganic polymer emerge as an excellent alternative due to both performance and environmental reasons. In the present work, inorganic polymer composites were produced using natural and synthetic lightweight aggregates, namely expanded perlite, vermiculite and red mud-containing inorganic polymer spheres. The influence of the aggregate nature and amount on the hardened-state properties (e.g., compressive strength, geometric density, thermal conductivity) of the produced materials was investigated.