AEROGEL-BASED ENCLOSURE SYSTEMS
Enclosures of several type useful in transportation or thermally sensitive materials comprising a fiber reinforced aerogel material is described. Enclosures may take several forms and the aerogel material may be encapsulated with polymeric materials. Various methods of manufacturing such enclosures are also described.
1 . An enclosure comprising at least one wall, an interior space and a fiber reinforced aerogel wherein the aerogel is located in or about said at least one wall.
2 . The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the aerogel material is in blanket form.
3 . The enclosure of claim 1 or 2 wherein the aerogel material comprises: silica, titania, zirconia, alumina, hafnia, yttria, ceria or a combination thereof.
4 . The enclosure of claim 1 , 2 or 3 wherein the aerogel material comprises: urethanes, resorcinol formaldehydes, polyimide, polyacrylates, chitosan, polymethyl methacrylate, members of the acrylate family of oligomers, trialkoxysilylterminated polydimethylsiloxane, polyoxyalkylene, polyurethane, polybutadiane, melamine-formaldehyde, phenol-furfural or a combination thereof.
5 . The enclosure of any of the preceding claims wherein the aerogel material comprises: silica-PMMA, silica-chitosan, silica-polyether or a combination thereof.
6 . The enclosure of claim 2 further comprising a non-aerogel material.
7 . The enclosure of claim 6 wherein the non-aerogel material comprises: elastomers, thermoplastics, thermosets, metals, semi-metals, ceramics, foams, biomaterials, or any combination thereof.
8 . The enclosure of claim 7 further comprising a volume defined by the surfaces of said non-aerogel material.
9 . The enclosure of claim 7 further comprising a volume defined by the surfaces of the aerogel blankets.
10 . The enclosure of claim 8 wherein the aerogel material and non-aerogel material are secured to each other.
11 . The enclosure of claim 1 further comprising a desiccant material, a heating element, a cooling element, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor or a combination thereof.
12 . The enclosure of claim 1 wherein said enclosure is flexible.
13 . The enclosure of claim 1 wherein said enclosure contains a fluid wherein said fluid is characterized by a liquid, or
wherein said fluid is characterized by a gas, or
wherein said fluid is characterized by a mixture of a gas and a liquid.
14 . The enclosure of claim 1 wherein the difference between the temperature of the interior space and the ambient is at least 5° C.
15 . The enclosure of claim 13 wherein the fluid is at a cryogenic temperature.
16 . The enclosure of claim 6 wherein the non-aerogel material is in a film form.
17 . A method of enclosing an interior space comprising the steps of:
Providing at least a wall;
Providing a fiber reinforced aerogel in or about said at least one wall; and
Enclosing the interior space with the wall or the fiber reinforced aerogel.
18 . The method as in claim 17 wherein the fiber-reinforced aerogel is attached to a polymeric layer.
19 . The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of placing a cryogenic fluid in the interior space.
20 . The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of placing a thermally sensitive material in the interior space.