Aerogel is a microporous, dense foam in which the liquid component is replaced by gas, making it the lightest solid. It exhibits high temperature resistance, low density, low optical index of refraction, low dielectric constant, high degree of porosity, high specific surface area, and thermal, acoustic, and impact damping properties. It can hold up to 4000 times its own weight. Aerogel sponge, can be recycled after use, thus indicating its ecological nature. Aerogel has important applications in the oil and gas, aerospace, healthcare, and electronic industries. High production cost and poor mechanical strength are major disadvantages of the aerogels market.

The multi-disciplinary use of aerogels across various sectors is a major driver for growth of the aerogel market. This has led to various technological advancements in the market. However, aerogels are found to irritate the eyes, skin, respiratory tract, and digestive system. Small silica particles can lead to silicosis when inhaled. This results in dehydration of the skin and eyes. Hence protective gear including respiratory protection, gloves, and eye goggles need to be worn while handling aerogels.

Aerogels Market Taxonomy:

On the basis of type, the global aerogels market is classified into:

Silica

Polymer

Carbon

Graphene

Organic

Alumina

Others

On the basis of Form, the global aerogels market is classified into:

Blanket

Particle

Panel

Monolith

On the basis of Processing, the global aerogels market is classified into:

Virgin Aerogel

Fabricated Aerogel

On the basis of application, the global aerogels market is classified into:

Adsorption agent

Catalyst

Thickening agent

Thermal Insulator

To trap space dust

Water purification

Others

On the basis of end user, the global aerogels market is classified into:

Oil & Gas

Construction

Automotive

Marine

Sports

Aerospace

Others

Silica aerogel is the most used aerogel. It is used in important applications such as oil & gas, building insulation, automotive, aerospace, electronics, and others. The rising need for biodegradable products has been observed due to increasing awareness regarding environment protection. Aerogel proves to be an efficient alternative to conventional insulators as a result of its low thermal circulation, thus reducing the loss of energy and costs. Blankets are the most used form of aerogels as a result of its easy handling. Blankets are formed by the blending of silica aerogels and flexible fibers. As oil well lines, LNG tankers, and transfer lines need to be heated, super cooled, and protected to maintain product temperature aerogels are said to provide better thermal insulating properties. Oil & gas is the largest market for aerogels. The rising need for advanced insulation supplies in its important processes boosts the growth for oil & gas segment of the aerogels market. The increasing demand for aerogels applications in industries such as construction, oil & gas, and automobiles, is expected to drive the growth for the global aerogels market.

Aerogels Market Outlook

In North America, the US is a major shale producer, enabling the use of aerogels in shale gas pipelines. This has resulted in North America being a major player in the shale market. NASA has successfully used aerogel as a hypervelocity particle capture and thermal insulator in its space missions. The U.S. is the top consumer of aerogel materials globally.

As the Middle East is a major oil exporter, the use of aerogels in its pipelines has increased. The Middle East has connections to various nations. The use of aerogels in its pipelines improves the ease of transport.

In Europe, the growth of the aerogel market depends mainly on the improving economies of countries such as the U.K. and Sweden. The subsequent increase in investment and technologies coupled with a rise in the number of new industrial establishments can lead to the development of Europe as a prominent market for aerogels.

In Asia, the development of the construction and automobile sector is an important factor for the growth of the aerogel market. Developing countries such as India and China have increased the use of aerogel for safer and efficient constructions of buildings, as thermal insulators.

In Africa, aerogels have a widespread use among various industrial sectors such as oil & gas, construction, production of automobiles, etc. As Africa is home to a number of developing countries, the aerogels prove to be an important component.

In South America, Venezuela is one of the largest oil producers. The growth of the housing sector combined by the important use of aerogel as an insulator would improve the potential of the aerogel market in this region.

Key Developments:

In April 2019, Aspen Aerogels, a global leader in Aerosol technology, were awarded a contract to supply their Cryogel Z Aerogel insulation to the Nong Fab Terminal in Thailand. In the contract, Aspen has agreed to deliver roughly 35 - 40 million USD of Cryogel Z for use in the construction of the terminal.

In April 2019, BASF SE and Aspen Aerogels announced their strategic partnership by signing an addendum for the supply and production of a new high-performance, non-combustible aerogel thermal insulation product.

In November 2018, Aerogel Technologies LLC, an American manufacturer of Aerogels had announced construction of the world’s first pilot plant in Boston for production of robust polymer aerogel panels and films.

In February 2018, Aerogel Technologies LLC, developed a manufacturing technology which allowed them to manufacture aerogels with durability similar to plastics. They are planning to use this technology in developing their Airloy line of aerogels.

Green Earth Aerogel Technologies has developed carbon-based aerogel product by the usage of agricultural waste. This is a major advancement in the global aerogel market, as the widespread use combined with the biological nature of aerogel is projected to boost the aerogels market globally. The top companies of the market include Aspen Aerogels Inc. (U.S.), Cabot Corporation (U.S.), Aerogel Technologies LLC (U.S.), Nano High-Tech Co. Ltd. (China), Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co. Ltd. (China), Active Aerogels (Portugal), Enersens SAS (France), JIOS Aerogel Corporation (South Korea), and BASF SE (Germany).