Aerogels and High-Performance Insulation

Key corporate names include BASF, Aspen Aerogels, Inc., LG Corp, Cabot Corporation and Knauf. Their activity spans aerogel materials, foam and fibrous insulation, and related thermal-barrier products. Research organizations such as Nanjing TechUniversity and Donghua University are also active, with recent work on low-cost silica aerogels and mechanically reinforced composites.

Aerofybers Technologies, Thermulon Ltd and Liatris are startups with distinct aerogel insulation directions. Aerofybers develops cellulosic aerogels focused on mechanical performance and water resistance; Thermulon is developing a chemical pathway for silica gels and aerogels for building insulation; Liatris develops building assemblies combining aerogel blankets with other insulation layers. These profiles indicate different routes, not a comparative ranking.

BASF, Knauf, Fiberglass S.A., Fletcher Insulation and Aspen Aerogels, Inc. are among the companies active in insulation supply. BASF supplies rigid polyurethane and polystyrene foams, while Knauf and Fiberglass S.A. are associated with fibrous insulation. Aspen Aerogels develops aerogel-based insulation products. The mix includes established building materials as well as specialized aerogel products.

Nanjing TechUniversity, Donghua University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are prominent research organizations in the dataset. Recent topics include water-based hydrophobic silica aerogels, mechanically robust composites, biomass aerogel fibers and carbon-based aerogels. University of Science and Technology of China and Xi’an Jiaotong University also appear among active research organizations, with work on bio-derived aerogels and high-temperature or cryogenic insulation.

The dataset associates $70.9 million in grants since 2020 and $21.3 billion across 34 funding rounds with the field. The grant figure covers 65 grants. The much larger round total includes organization-level funding entries, which may not be dedicated to aerogel or insulation research, so it should not be read as a direct measure of sector-specific investment.

LG Corp leads the listed patent holders with 87 patents, followed by Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. with 59 and Cardinal CG Company with 38. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd has 32, and Aspen Aerogels, Inc. has 24. These counts identify the largest holders in the supplied patent-holder list, not the full ownership of every relevant patent.

Patent activity declined by 28.8% in the last 12 months compared with the previous 12 months, while 1,003 patents fall within the 24-month window. The wider activity measure also declined, by 15.8%. These figures indicate a recent slowdown in recorded activity; they do not show whether individual technical approaches or specific companies are accelerating.

August 2026 research at Jiangsu University used Al–O–Si interfacial bonding to improve silica-aerogel structural retention at high temperature, while Donghua University reported interfacial bridging to strengthen aerogel composites without sacrificing insulation. Other recent work includes decoration-waste aerogel mortar from Wuhan University of Technology and cellulose aerogels designed for fire resistance. These studies address durability, waste use and multifunctionality.

The listed application areas are buildings, aerospace, industrial and energy infrastructure, cold chain and appliances, and electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have the largest patent share among these application categories, with 13.3% of patents in the window. Aerogel and related insulation systems are considered across these settings for thermal protection, energy efficiency, cryogenic storage or battery thermal management.