The properties of silica-aerogel/UPVC composites have been investigated with emphasis on sound and heat insulation. UPVC is a material of construction for window profiles and drainage pipes. Hydrophobic silica aerogels were synthesized using silicate sodium as a precursor through a two-step sol-gel process. The physical and textural properties of the synthesized silica aerogels such as density, surface area, and particle size were analyzed using SEM and BET analysis. Then, the synthesized aerogels were mixed with Unplastisized Polyvinyl Chloride (UPVC) compound at five different weight ratios in an internal mixer to find out the effects of silica aerogels on the thermal, mechanical, and acoustical characteristics. The prepared UPVC/aerogel composites were characterized for tensile properties, impact strength, hardness, Vicat softening temperature, thermal conductivity, sound absorption, and sound transmission loss. The results revealed that adding silica aerogel in to the matrix of UPVC increases its hardness and softening temperature while decreases impact strength. The thermal conductivity of UPVC was decreased by up to 50% using silica aerogel. The sound absorption property of UPVC was increased up to three times by using silica aerogels due to its high porosity. Silica aerogel increased the maximum sound transmission loss of UPVC in the low frequency range. V C 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 134, 44685.

In this study, two different types of acrylic resins were synthesized through emulsion polymerization. The first category of acrylic resins contained methyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and acrylic acid monomers. The second composition had an additional monomer named acrylamide (AAm). The kinetic behavior of polymerization reaction was investigated. The results showed that the presence of the AAm monomer increased the monomer conversion (>90% in the first 10 min) and the rate of polymerization. Furthermore, the latexes were characterized by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) Fourier Transform Infrared, and differential scanning calorimeter analysis. To study the effect of silica aerogel as a thermal barrier additive for acrylic resins, samples were mixed with silica aerogel using sodium dodecyl sulfate as a surfactant. In the next step, the above-mentioned resins were used to make white acrylic-based paints. The heat transfer measurements revealed that the thermal insulation properties were not affected by the composition of the resin. On the other hand, the use of AAm monomer increased the paint adhesion properties and helped the resin to receive more aerogel (up to 5 wt %) which in turn decreased the heat loss of the painted wall.