Progress in silica aerogel-containing materials for buildings' thermal insulation

Silica aerogels hold remarkable properties, particularly their translucence/transparency and extremely low thermal conductivity and density, for buildings thermal insulation purpose. Incorporated in compos-ites or framing systems, they reduce the overall weight of the building envelope while increasing its ther-mal resistance, being especially valuable for energy-efficient retrofitting solutions, spanning from covering facades to window panes. This review presents the production process of silica aerogels in brief, their relevant properties regarding building's needs, and a full survey of last years' scientific achieve-ments on silica aerogel-containing materials for buildings, such as panels, blankets, cement, mortars, con-crete, glazing systems, solar collector covers, among others. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.