Cabot Nanogel® promises unmatched energy savings revolutionary insulating material makes the best window, wall and skylight products better

Citation

(2004), "Cabot Nanogel® promises unmatched energy savings revolutionary insulating material makes the best window, wall and skylight products better", Pigment & Resin Technology, Vol. 33 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/prt.2004.12933fad.016

Cabot Nanogel® promises unmatched energy savings revolutionary insulating material makes the best window, wall and skylight products better

Cabot Nanogel^® promises unmatched energy savings revolutionary insulating material makes the best window, wall and skylight products better

Keywords: Thermal protection, Cabot Corporation, Energy conservation

With energy prices rising around the world, maximizing thermal performance in today’s building materials is top of mind for architects, builders, and building and home owners. The emotional and ergonomic benefits of natural daylight often compromises the desire for energy efficiency. Cabot Corporation (NYSE: CBT) today announced that its Nanogel^® translucent aerogel material, provides superior energy savings and is the best translucent insulating and lightest solid material in the world.

Nanogel is now incorporated into the skylight, window and wall system products of six leaders in the fenestration systems industry – GRP (glass reinforced polyester) panels, polycarbonate, U-channel and insulated glass systems. This means that the material is now part of products in all mediums available to architects and builders who are looking for high light transmission and superior thermal performance.

“Nanogel makes the best fenestration products better”, said James Satterwhite, Cabot Marketing Director, Building and Construction. “It makes them more energy-and cost-efficient with thermal capacities unmatched in building materials today. In addition, Nanogel hydrophobic nature, permanent performance feature which means these products repel water, and will not degrade over time, therefore substantially extending their life cycles.”

Manufactured exclusively by Cabot through its patented process, Nanogel translucent aerogel is a highly light transmissive, lightweight, nanoporous material, and is permanently hydrophobic, making it both moisture and mildew resistant. Cabot’s continuous aerogel manufacturing process based on a new technology route, is housed in the first commercial plant in Frankfurt, Germany.

“Nanogel-filled systems will allow architects substantially greater design freedom, allowing a wider scope to maximize natural light and thermal performance at the same time meet the increasingly stringent building insulation regulations,” said Satterwhite. “We see Nanogel as a breakthrough product that will stimulate innovation in building design and be a tool to create better and more efficient buildings worldwide.”

In the United States, the state-of-the-art incorporators and distributors are:

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  Kalwall Corporation: Kalwall Corporation is the leader in the field of translucent building panel systems, having invented the translucent, structural building panel. Kalwall is recognized worldwide for highly insulating, translucent panel technology.

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  SuperSky Products Inc.: Super Sky Products markets a polycarbonate skylight panel system filled with Nanogel translucent aerogel. The 10 mm and 16 mm panels are composed of GE Lexan^® Thermoclear^® polycarbonate, produced by GE Structured Products, and Macrolux BDL^® polycarbonate. The Super Sky panels are impact resistant and energy saving, multi-wall glazing sheets that feature a proprietary surface treatment providing nearly total resistance to the degrading effect of UV light. The combination of Nanogel and polycarbonate enables a nearly two-fold increase in thermal performance without significantly compromising light transmission and creates the first polycarbonate panel resistant to condensation. This in turn allows the flexibility of both vertical and horizontal wall alignment adding to overall design freedom.

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  Westcrowns Inc.: Westcrowns, Inc. designs and supplies Pilkington Profilit™ translucent linear structural glazing systems where glass performance meets or exceeds building code criteria for thermal insulation and light transmission. Pilkington Profilit has been used in Europe for 40 years, and is now being recognized in North America as an innovative alternative to conventional glass products.

In Europe, Nanogel is incorporated into the products of:

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  Kalwall Corporation: Kalwall Corporation is the leader in the field of translucent building panel systems, having invented the translucent, structural building panel. Kalwall is recognized worldwide for highly insulating, translucent panel technology.

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  Scobalit AG: Scobalit AG produces high quality fiber reinforced polyester materials for applications in building and construction. The company specializes in glazing and insulation units, fiberglass and glass filled components among others. Scobalit’s polyester panels plus Nanogel provide 25 per cent light transmission and thermal insulation values (0.48 W/(m² K) at 50 mm).

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  GE Advanced Materials Structured Products: GE Structured Products is the global leader in the manufacture of high performance Lexan^® polycarbonate sheet and film products. Lexan Thermoclear Polycarbonate multiwall plus Nanogel has improved thermal insulation by 60 per cent and acoustical insulation by 5 dB as well as greater light diffusion in current products.

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  Westcrowns Group: Westcrowns designs and supplies Pilkington Prolilit translucent linear structural glazing systems in the UK where glass performance meets or exceeds building code criteria for thermal insulation and light transmission.

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  Pilkington plc: Pilkington is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass and glazing products for building, automotive and related technical markets. The company’s U-channel glass with polycarbonate inserts filled with Nanogel provide an U value of 0.97 W/(m² K) with inserts of 16 mm thickness.

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  Okalux: An innovative insulating glass manufacturing company, Okalux, produces an insulated glass with Nanogel panel that provides better insulation (0.6 W/(m² K) at 32 mm) at thinner gauges. The company promotes using natural daylight and saving energy while creating comfort in the room.

All of these companies employ vast distribution networks to work with clients all over the world.

“Nanogel has quickly achieved global acceptance,” Satterwhite continued. “Companies and educational institutions are, right now, realizing substantial benefits in energy savings as well as enjoying comfortable work and play environments.”

Nanogel-based roofs, skylights and pool enclosures have been installed in office buildings in Spokane, Washington and Bozeman, Montana; hotels in Manchester, New Hampshire; residences in the United Kingdom; and schools in Inkom, Idaho and Buchwiesen, Switzerland.

Cabot Corporation, Interleuvenlaan 15 I, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. For further information contact Tel: +32 1639 2578; Fax: +32 1639 2579