Reviewed by Lexie CornerDec 11 2024
ETH spin-off Aeroskin Tech is developing cutting-edge thermal insulation using aerogel technology to provide more effective and sustainable building insulation. Unlike traditional materials, this innovative insulation is significantly thinner and helps save energy.
Daniel Sanz Pont with a prototype of his thermal insulation. Image Credit: Michel Büchel / ETH Zurich
When winter arrives and temperatures drop, you can either bundle up in warm clothing or turn up the heat, facing higher costs. But what if the key to a warm, energy-efficient home lies within the walls themselves? The better a building is thermally insulated, the less energy is needed to heat its interior.
This is where Aeroskin Tech, an ETH spin-off, comes in. The company is developing a new type of thermal insulation that is twice as effective as traditional materials.
We want to provide sustainable and efficient building insulation.
Daniel Sanz Pont, Senior Scientific Researcher and Professor, Building Materials, ETH Zurich
Pont is also the founder of Aeroskin Tech.
Aeroskin Tech offers a range of solutions tailored to a building's needs, including ultra-high-performance spray plaster for facades, ultra-high-performance insulating boards that can be used as standard products or customized for prefabrication through digital fabrication, as well as 3D building scans. These prefabricated components can be easily applied to a building’s walls.
The insulating material provides two to two and a half times more insulation than traditional materials like wood fibers or rock wool. What sets Aeroskin Tech products apart is that just 10 cm of thickness is enough to achieve optimal insulation, while standard rigid foam boards can be up to 30 centimeters thick.
“The requirements vary depending on whether a building is renovated or a new build and whether the new build is constructed according to Minergie standards,” added Sanz Pont.
The Secret: A Material from the Aerospace Industry
The ETH spin-off’s thermal insulation is based on aerogel. These materials were first employed in the aircraft industry as high-performance insulators for electronics and other sensitive components.
“When I began studying aerogels some 15 years ago, they weren’t very common. But I quickly realized their potential for applications such as the thermal insulation of buildings. An aerogel is essentially a dried gel. Unlike normal gels, however, it does not collapse when dried but maintains its volume. It has a nanoporous structure,” stated Sanz Pont.
The structure is ideal for insulation. Conventional insulating materials are highly porous, with some containing up to 90 % air. In these materials, heat is primarily transferred through collisions between air molecules. However, in nanostructured materials, the pores are so small that air molecules collide with the pore walls more frequently than with each other, enhancing the insulation.
Sanz Pont added, “This is called the Knudsen effect. It is what makes aerogels the best thermal insulators of all.”
For example, this effect greatly reduces heat transfer from the interior of a structure to the exterior. In a dry aerogel, the air molecules are more spaced apart, which helps retain heat inside the building. The aerogel’s lower convective effect prevents the hot air from escaping through the material to the outside.
From Niche to Global Market
Although Sanz Pont is originally from Spain, he grew up in Mexico. After studying architecture, he returned to Spain to complete his education, earning two master's degrees: one in quality and risk management and another in building physics. While pursuing his doctorate in materials science at ETH Zurich, he researched the optimal methods for mixing and processing granulated silica aerogels, recognizing their potential for the building industry.
He added, “Entrepreneurship is very common in my family. It seemed obvious to me, therefore, to found an ETH spin-off so that I could bring my research to market.”
Aeroskin Tech has created several spray insulation prototypes, such as insulating boards and a full-scale demonstrator, and has had traders and construction firms validate these products. Public financing and project awards, including those from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy Pilot and Demonstration program and the Swiss Climate Foundation, have been essential to their development.
The next step is to construct a pilot plant, which will allow them to scale up to industrial production and bring their products to market within a year or two.
Millions of cubic meters of insulating materials are consumed annually, so the market has enormous potential. Switzerland is a very desirable production location in this regard.
“Our location in the heart of Europe works in our favor. What’s more, you need two or three times more insulating materials in Switzerland to meet the legal requirements than in other countries such as Spain,” explained Sanz Pont.
That is a fantastic starting point for establishing a presence in the market.
Soon to Take the Next Big Step
Unlike previous ETH spin-offs, which are usually led by two or more founders, Sanz Pont risked going it alone with Aeroskin Tech.
“My multifaceted education means I bring together many different skills. I’ve also had coaching and expanded my education and experience in business management. Nevertheless, I have been supported by outstanding professionals at ETH during all these years of development,” added Sanz Pont, who has established a network and collaborates closely with other companies when unique knowledge is required.
Nonetheless, the decision to operate the company alone is quite difficult.
“I really enjoy big challenges, but I also surround myself with highly experienced mentors whom I can learn more quickly from. With that in mind, I want to prepare for the next step carefully. Aeroskin Tech is looking for investors who dare to take on big challenges so that we can begin producing on an industrial scale,” further added Sanz Pont.