A simple and efficient in situ polymerization of silica xerogel-acrylic thermal insulation coatings

Thermal insulation coatings are an efficient thermal management material that can effectively prevent heat exchange between the building and outside world, realizing building energy efficiency. In this paper, a new thermal insulation coating was innovatively developed by synthesizing silica xerogel within acrylic emulsion via in situ polymerization. Compared to the pure acrylic coating, the thermal insulation coating with 30 % silane concentration forms a promising xerogel structure, resulting in a thermal conductivity of 0.07 W/(m·K), which is 61 % lower than that of pure acrylic coating. And the surface temperature of the thermal insulation coating with 30 % silane concentration was found to be 12.1 °C lower than pure acrylic coating after placing on the hot stage for some time. These findings indicate that silica xerogel network was effectively synthesized in the acrylic emulsion through in situ polymerization and that the thermal insulation coating displays low thermal conductivity and admirable thermal insulation qualities. The xerogel-acrylic composite coating produced by this research offers a novel form of thermal insulation coating, and the in situ polymerization of silica xerogel can also promote the synthesis of multifunctional composite coatings in various aqueous emulsions.