SBIR Phase II: Ultra-Clear and Insulating Aerogel for Energy-Efficient Windows

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目开发了一种新颖的双层玻璃窗，用该公司专有的超级绝缘气凝胶隔热。这种气凝胶窗口可以达到0.18BTU/h/ft2/F的玻璃中心系数(每开尔文1.02瓦特/平方米)，并可以在2030年之前实现1.2万亿BTU的成本效益节能，减少美国每年冬天损失的200亿美元的能源。除了这个30-50亿美元的气凝胶年市场外，这项工作还扩展到其他市场，如用于制冷和烤箱的透明门，以及用于过程热(~180°C)的太阳能热接收器，其中每一项都代表着节约能源和减少温室气体排放的重大机遇(商用冰箱和冰箱门领域的33亿美元机遇，以及太阳能热能工业过程供热领域30亿美元的机遇)。到2050年，这种新材料技术每年可以抵消超过15亿吨的二氧化碳排放，并实现更高效的透明绝缘的革命性设计。该项目的智力优势解决了在窗户中空玻璃单元中加入超级隔热气凝胶的关键技术障碍，重点关注两个主要风险。该项目将：(1)展示气凝胶片材的比例，以符合具有适当光学和热性能的窗的相关尺寸，重点是生产窗行业中14“x 20”的标准测试尺寸；(2)展示气凝胶使用相同尺寸的材料用于窗的耐久性，这需要20年以上的产品寿命。该奖项将探索制造气凝胶的关键成本驱动因素，创造气凝胶隔热窗设计，并测试全尺寸(大于4平方英尺)的窗户原型。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project develops a novel, double-pane window insulated with a sheet of the company’s proprietary super-insulating aerogel. This aerogel window can achieve a center-of-glass U-factor of 0.18 BTU/h/ft2/F (1.02 Watt per square meter per Kelvin) and could enable cost-effective energy savings of 1.2 quadrillion BTUs by 2030, reducing the $20 billion in energy lost each winter in the U.S. In addition to this $3-5 billion annual market for the aerogel, this work also extends to other markets, such as transparent doors for refrigeration and ovens, and solar thermal receivers for process heat (~180 °C), where each represent significant opportunities for energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions (a $3.3 billion opportunity in commercial freezer and refrigerator doors, and a $3.0 billion opportunity in industrial process heat for solar thermal). By 2050, this new material technology could offset over 1.5 billion tons per year of carbon dioxide emissions and enable revolutionary designs for more efficient transparent insulation. The intellectual merit of this project addresses key technical barriers for inclusion of super-insulating aerogels in window insulated glass units, focusing on two main risks. This project will: (1) demonstrate scaling of aerogel sheets to window relevant sizes with adequate optical and thermal properties, focusing on producing the 14” x 20” standard test size in the window industry; (2) demonstrate the durability of the aerogel using materials with these same dimensions for windows, which require 20+ year product lifetimes. This award will explore key cost drivers for manufacturing aerogel, create aerogel-insulated window designs, and test a full-scale (greater than 4 square feet) window prototype.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.