The present invention provides a bidirectional energy-transfer system comprising: a thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete, disposed in a structural object; a location of energy supply or demand that is physically isolated from, but in thermodynamic and/or electromagnetic communication with, the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete; and a means of transferring energy between the structural object and the location of energy supply or demand. The system can be a single node in a neural network. The thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete includes a conductive, shock-absorbing material, such as graphite. Preferred compositions are disclosed for the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete. The bidirectional energy-transfer system may be present in a solar-energy collection system, a grade beam, an indoor radiant flooring system, a structural wall or ceiling, a bridge, a roadway, a driveway, a parking lot, a commercial aviation runway, a military runway, a grain silo, or pavers, for example.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing an aerogel blanket in which, a surface of a base material for a blanket is activated and roughness and porosity of the surface of the base material for a blanket are increased to increase adhesion performance of a silica aerogel by inducing etching of a surface of a base material for a blanket using an acidic solution, and mechanical flexibility is increased and the generation of dust is minimized by further performing a gel deformation process of introducing cracks into the aerogel, and a low-dust and high-insulation aerogel blanket prepared according to the present invention.

Provided is a thermal insulation having both excellent thermal insulating performance and excellent strength, and a method of producing the same. A method of producing a thermal insulation according to the present invention includes curing (S2) a dry-pressed compact, including silica fine particles each having an average particle diameter of 50 nm or less and a reinforcement fiber, at a relative humidity of 70% or more.

A porous ceramic structure has a porosity of 20% to 99%, and includes one principal surface and another principal surface opposite to the one principal surface. At least one cut is formed from the one principal surface toward the other principal surface. An aspect ratio of a divided portion divided by the cut is greater than or equal to 3.

A low-carbon emission mineral casting material and a manufacturing method thereof, and an equipment including a low-carbon emission mineral casting are provided. The low-carbon emission mineral casting material includes a bonding agent, a first aggregate, and an additive agent. The bonding agent includes one or more of silicate, aluminate, or iron-aluminate. A first particle diameter of the first aggregate is less than or equal to 15 mm. The low-carbon emission mineral casting material provided by the present application has better heat resistance, lower thermal conductivity, lower expansion coefficient, and better shock-absorbing performance than traditional casting material.

A porous ceramic structure has a porous ceramic aggregate configured from a plurality of porous ceramic particles, and the ratio of the number of corners at locations where two other porous ceramic particles are facing a corner of a porous ceramic particle with respect to the number of corners of the porous ceramic particles included in the porous ceramic aggregate is 80% or greater.

A porous ceramic particle has a porosity of 20% to 99%, and one principal surface of the porous ceramic particle is a mirror surface, and an aspect ratio thereof is greater than or equal to 3.

A foam concrete has constituents that include a cement, a sand, a coarse aggregate having a density in a range of 1400-1600 kg/m.sup.3, a water, and a foam solution. The foam solution includes a foaming agent and a foaming water. The foam concrete has a compressive strength of at least 20 MPa, a thermal conductivity of less than 0.40 W/mK and a maximum dry weight of 2000 kg/m.sup.3.

A manufacturing method of a heat shield component includes a mixing step of mixing sol including a ceramic precursor with heat-expandable microspheres having an outer shell formed of thermoplastic resin and encapsulating a foaming agent so as to obtain a mixed solution, a coating step of applying the mixed solution to a substrate to obtain a coated product, and a heating step of heating the coated product to form a base body including a ceramic from the ceramic precursor, and leading the heat-expandable microspheres to foam so as to form a ceramic porous layer including closed pores in the base body. The ceramic porous layer has a porosity in a range of 40% to 70%.

The present invention provides an aerogel blanket including a blanket base, aerogel coupled on the surface of the blanket base, and aerogel located at a space between the blanket bases, the aerogel coupled on the surface of the blanket base is 50 wt % based on the total weight of aerogel, wherein the aerogel blanket has the number of aerogel particles separated from the aerogel blanket ranging from 13,600 to 90,000 per ft.sup.3, when vibrating the aerogel blanket at a frequency of 1 Hz to 30 Hz for 2 hours to 10 hours.