Project Summary

           AeroXTreme project will develop new materials for high performance insulation in space applications. Silica and alumina-silica based aerogel nanocomposites reinforced with aramid fibers will be produced. These nanocomposites should exhibit excellent insulation performance (< 30 mW / (m K)) and thermal and structural stability under extreme temperature conditions (> 500 °C). They will be designed to be used as insulators in thermal protection systems of cryogenic tanks of launchers, in order to minimize evaporative losses of propellant and consequent loss of energy. 

 

     Different raw materials will be tested in order to obtain good chemical/physical bonding of the various phases and the properties required for the intended application. The synthetic precursors will be partially replaced by clay minerals, economically attractive and sustainable, existing in the central region of Portugal. Nanostructures of alumina-silica reinforced with fibers have never been studied, thus eco-innovative materials are foreseen. Thus, AeroXTreme will allow the valorization of regional and national ecological resources through the production of eco-innovative thermal insulators with high added value and potential application in various technological sectors.