SiO2 aerogels and its application in firefighter protective clothing

Abstract

This article focuses our attention on utility of silica based aerogel as insulation materials in protective clothing especially for fire fighters at higher temperature. In past, aerogels were employed for insulation of buildings, aeronautics and aerospace applications. Later on, researchers determined the utility of aerogels as insulated substrate in protective clothing. Several investigations revealed insulation properties of aerogel at elevated temperature. There are several different types of aerogel but in this article, the main emphasis is on silica based aerogel because of its excellent insulation and outstanding flame proof properties along with thermal stability at raised temperature. By applying suitable coating techniques, aerogel can be impregnated into nonwoven substrates, which can be employed as thermal barriers resulting in enhancement of the protective capability of multilayered clothing at higher temperature. All these characteristics make aerogel a potential candidate to be used as insulation material in protective clothing at elevated temperature.