RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Thermal conductivity of nanoporous materials: Where Is the limit? A1 Merillas Valero, Beatriz A1 Vareda, João Pedro A1 Martín de León, Judit A1 Rodríguez Pérez, Miguel Ángel A1 Durães, Luisa K1 Nanoporous materials K1 Polymers K1 Thermal conductivity K1 Física de la materia condensada K1 Condensed matter K1 Materials science K1 Thermal insulation K1 Aislamiento térmico K1 Gels K1 Aerogel K1 Chemistry K1 23 Química K1 2206.10 Polímeros AB Nowadays, our society is facing problems related to energy availability. Owing to the energy savings that insulators provide, the search for effective insulating materials is a focus of interest. Since the current insulators do not meet the increasingly strict requirements, developing materials with a greater insulating capacity is needed. Until now, several nanoporous materials have been considered as superinsulators achieving thermal conductivities below that of the air 26 mW/(m K), like nanocellular PMMA/TPU, silica aerogels, and polyurethane aerogels reaching 24.8, 10, and 12 mW/(m K), respectively. In the search for the minimum thermal conductivity, still undiscovered, the first step is understanding heat transfer in nanoporous materials. The main features leading to superinsulation are low density, nanopores, and solid interruptions hindering the phonon transfer. The second crucial condition is obtaining reliable thermal conductivity measurement techniques. This review summarizes these techniques, and data in the literature regarding the structure and thermal conductivity of two nanoporous materials, nanocellular polymers and aerogels. The key conclusion of this analysis specifies that only steady-state methods provide a reliable value for thermal conductivity of superinsulators. Finally, a theoretical discussion is performed providing a detailed background to further explore the lower limit of superinsulation to develop more efficient materials. PB MDPI SN 2073-4360 YR 2022 FD 2022 LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/61884 UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/61884 LA eng NO Polymers, 2022, Vol. 14, Nº. 13, 2556 NO Producción Científica DS UVaDOC RD 25-nov-2024