# Facile Preparation of Glass Fiber Wool/MTMS Aerogels with Improved Thermal Insulation and Safety

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method to create thermal insulation materials using glass fiber wool and methyltrimethoxysilane, offering better insulation and safety.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is a facile fabrication method for GFWA composites with enhanced thermal insulation and safety properties.

## Key findings

- GFWA composites show a thermal conductivity of 35.3 mW/m·K and a water contact angle of 125.8°.
- The Young’s modulus of GFWA-30 is 21.2% higher than MTMS aerogel.
- GFWA-30 reduces peak heat release rate, total heat release, and gross calorific value by 21.6%, 18.8%, and 27.95%, respectively.

## Abstract

With the continuous increase in global energy consumption and the escalating severity of climate change, the development of high-performance thermal insulation materials is crucial for reducing energy waste and carbon emissions. In this work, a facile method was proposed to prepare thermal-insulating glass fiber wool/methyltrimethoxysilane aerogel (GFWA) composites through vacuum-assisted impregnation. The obtained results indicated that GFWA composites exhibited excellent thermal insulation and hydrophobic properties, with GFWA-30 containing 30 wt.% glass fiber wool having a thermal conductivity of 35.3 mW/m·K and a water contact angle of 125.8°. Additionally, the Young’s modulus of this composite was 21.2% higher than that of MTMS aerogel. In terms of thermal safety performance, compared to methyltrimethoxysilane aerogel, the GFWA-30 composite showed reductions of 21.6%, 18.8%, and 27.95% in peak heat release rate, total heat release, and gross calorific value, respectively. This study offers a simple and feasible approach to fabricating high-performance thermal insulation materials, which display huge potential for widespread application in the fields of building insulation and other fields with thermal insulation requirements.