An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal insulator which is easily position-adjusted when disposed in equipment. A plurality of projections are provided on at least one surface of thermal insulator including nonwoven fabric and xerogel in interior spaces of nonwoven fabric. With this configuration, fine positioning or the like is easily performed when thermal insulator is disposed, and a thickness increases by a height of projections, so that a thermal insulation effect can be improved. Thus, the thermal insulator can be used for thermal insulation of various types of equipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal insulator which is easily position-adjusted when disposed in equipment. A plurality of projections are provided on at least one surface of thermal insulator including nonwoven fabric and xerogel in interior spaces of nonwoven fabric. With this configuration, fine positioning or the like is easily performed when thermal insulator is disposed, and a thickness increases by a height of projections, so that a thermal insulation effect can be improved. Thus, the thermal insulator can be used for thermal insulation of various types of equipment.

In a method for manufacturing an aerogel, an acid is added to a first aqueous high-molar-ratio silicate solution that includes silica particles having a mean particle diameter of from 1 nm to 10 nm and that is alkaline, to produce a gel. The gel is subjected to a dehydration condensation to obtain a hydrogel. The hydrogel is converted into a hydrophobized gel. Then, the hydrophobized gel is dried. According to the method, an aerogel having a pore volume of from 3.00 cc/g to 10 cc/g, a mean pore diameter of from 10 nm to 68 nm, and a specific surface area of from 200 m.sup.2/g to 475 m.sup.2/g can be prepared.

In a method for manufacturing an aerogel, an acid is added to a first aqueous high-molar-ratio silicate solution that includes silica particles having a mean particle diameter of from 1 nm to 10 nm and that is alkaline, to produce a gel. The gel is subjected to a dehydration condensation to obtain a hydrogel. The hydrogel is converted into a hydrophobized gel. Then, the hydrophobized gel is dried. According to the method, an aerogel having a pore volume of from 3.00 cc/g to 10 cc/g, a mean pore diameter of from 10 nm to 68 nm, and a specific surface area of from 200 m.sup.2/g to 475 m.sup.2/g can be prepared.

The invention relates to a method for producing aerogels, in particular silica aerogels, by way of a sol-gel process.

The invention relates to a method for producing aerogels, in particular silica aerogels, by way of a sol-gel process.

It is an object of the invention to provide a rapid and economically viable process which is notable for efficient use of material, especially of the silylating agent, and by means of which organically modified lyo- or aerogels are obtained in a rapid and simple manner. This object is achieved by virtue of the invention providing a process for producing organically modified gels selected from lyo- and aerosols by (i) emulsifying a basic polar phase comprising water and starting materials for silicatic gels in a nonpolar phase containing a water-immiscible precursor for an active silylating agent, (ii) starting formation of gel and ageing by lowering the pH, and then (iii) starting the silylation and the exchange of solvent by lowering the pH. If the gels are aerogels, the gels provided can be used for thermal and/or acoustic insulation.

The invention relates to a method for producing aerogels, in particular silica aerogels, by way of a sol-gel process.

The invention relates to a method for producing aerogels, in particular silica aerogels, by way of a sol-gel process.

The present invention provides a method for producing an aerogel, comprising a sol generating step of generating, by hydrolyzing a silane oligomer, a sol containing a hydrolysis product of the silane oligomer; a wet gel generating step of obtaining a wet gel by gelation of the sol; and a drying step of drying the wet gel to obtain an aerogel, wherein a proportion of silicon atoms each bonded to three oxygen atoms in a total number of silicon atoms contained in the silane oligomer is 50% or more.