Cabot Corporation and Super Sky Products Partner To Produce Polycarbonate Skylight Panels with Nanogel® Translucent Aerogel
The 10mm and 16mm panels are composed of GE Lexan® Thermoclear® polycarbonate, produced by GE Structured Products, and Macrolux BDL® polycarbonate, furnished by CO-EX Corporation. GE Lexan Thermoclear polycarbonate sheets are impact resistant and energy saving, multi-wall glazing sheets that feature a proprietary surface treatment which provides nearly total resistance to the degrading effects of UV light. The Macrolux BDL polycarbonate system utilizes batten caps that provide affordable diffused light.
Manufactured exclusively by Cabot using its patented process, Nanogel® translucent aerogel is a lightweight, nanoporous insulation material that can deliver increased thermal insulation and light transmission levels between two and four times higher than alternative products currently available in the marketplace.
According to Super Sky CEO James Roesing: "This new system ushers in a new era of high-tech materials in daylighting. Structured sheet polycarbonate with Nanogel aerogel saves substantial energy, prevents condensation, is water repellent, reduces sound transmission, and will be an aesthetic asset to any building...all at a reasonable cost. This combination will also assist architects and building owners in their quest for a 'green' and energy-efficient structure."
James Satterwhite, Marketing Director, Building and Construction, Cabot Nanogel group said, "Super Sky skylight panels with Nanogel aerogel will allow architects substantially greater design freedom, allowing a wider scope to maximize natural light to 'museum light' quality; and, at the same time, meet the increasingly higher R-values required by building insulation regulations."
According to NASA researchers, aerogels are the "world's most insulating solid material." Nanogel® aerogel is waterproof and translucent and can be produced in a range of particle sizes to optimize appearance and fenestration performance. Importantly, when used in a 16mm section panel, Nanogel aerogel delivers up to 55% light transmission and provides thermal insulation as low as 0.23 U Value, and R Value of 4.3.
The Super Sky polycarbonate panels with Nanogel® are expected to bring a wide range of benefits to building applications. These include:
- The use of larger panels, up to 20'0" long and 5' 0" wide, significantly improves light diffusion, without shadows and the need for sunshades.
- Reduced energy costs as a result of significantly improved thermal insulation.
- Improved comfort due to better sound dampening.
- Superior aesthetic effects when viewed from either the exterior or interior of a building.
About Super Sky Products
Super Sky Products, a division of Vitro America, a Vitro (NYSE: VTO) subsidiary, designs, fabricates and installs skylighting systems that add beauty and natural light to commercial buildings and private residences. With representatives around the corner and around the world, Super Sky is recognized as an international leader, and premier skylight choice.
About Cabot Corporation
Cabot Corporation is a global specialty and materials company and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Cabot's major products are carbon black, fumed silica, inkjet colourants, capacitor materials, and fine particles, comprising carbon, metals and metal oxides. Cabot has approximately 4,400 employees in 45 manufacturing plants located in over 20 countries around the world.