Glazing systems with thin monolithic aerogel: Optical, thermal, and color rendering performance

Thin monolithic aerogel is one of the most promising super-insulated thermo-acoustic and lighting materials for use in highly energy-efficient windows. This study investigates the influence of 3-mm monolithic aerogel in the gap of small-scale prototype glazing systems on optical, thermal, and color rendering performance. Data available in the literature are in general related to monolithic aerogel panes with a thickness greater than 10 mm; only a few studies investigate thin aerogels. The novelty of the paper is the investigation of thin aerogel physical properties focusing on 3 mm – thick panes sandwiched in double glazing systems. The aerogel samples were fabricated at Union College using a rapid supercritical extraction method, reducing the time of fabrication for monoliths. Peak values of visible spectral transmittance in the 0.75 – 0.78 range were measured using a conventional spectrophotometer in the 300–2500 nm wavelength range. A thermal transmittance reduction of up to 28% was calculated for the glazing systems with the aerogel. The effect of the thin aerogel glazing systems on color rendering observed through transparent material was evaluated following a new measurement methodology developed in previous work. The results showed that the innovative solutions with thin aerogel tend to make the colors brighter and involve slight color shift variations, resulting in high Color Rendering Index values (85 – 88).