Research Overview

Insulation materials, either in fibrous, cellular or granular form, are adopted across industries such as building and construction, packaging, electronics, consumer goods, energy, manufacturing, oil & gas, aerospace and automotive. Apart from being a thermal barrier, the materials function as anticorrosion, anti-flame, enhance the durability and anti-microbial protection. The insulation system comes in the form of solids, liquids or gases, helping to enhance the quality as well as reduce the tendency of energy or heat loss of the insulated product.

However, most of the traditional insulation materials, such as fiberglass, mineral wools, polyurethane foam and aluminum foil have limitations either in the form of its mechanical properties whereby it tends to break or crack when being exposed to extreme surroundings or in its thermal or chemical properties where constant exposure to extreme surroundings reduces its effectiveness. These insulation materials have also contributed to health and environment issues, such inhalation during the application of fiberglass lead could lead to lung diseases as well as release of chlorine atoms from the polyurethane foam which leads to the thinning of the ozone layer and global warming. Stakeholders such as the University of California, US Uppsala University, Sweden, Japan Insulation, Japan, and Showa Denko Packaging Co. Ltd., Japan have introduced approaches to develop sustainable alternatives in insulation materials. Across industries, stakeholders, such as Knauf Insulation, US, IMT Mines Alès, France, Showa Denko Packaging Co. Ltd., Japan, Terreal Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Malaysia have introduced technologies such as aerogel composites, bio-based composites, aluminium-polyester composites, and ceramic nanofiber and nanocellulose as sustainable alternatives for developing cost efficient and high-performance insulation technology.

This research service titled “Growth Opportunities for Emerging Insulation Materials” provides a review of both current and emerging innovations on insulation materials and their potential adoption as cost efficient and high performance materials within industries. The research service highlights the key factors that influence R&D and adoption efforts across various geographic regions. It also provides a list of noteworthy innovations and perspectives across the globe and highlights key innovators.