Investigated Applications

The principal applications investigated are centered on:

• thermal super-insulation (transparent, opaque and under vacuum),
• materials for electrodes (of proton exchange membrane fuel cells and supercapacitors,
• hydrogen storage.

At present, the main sectors of application are respectively Building super-insulation (double-glazing, vacuum insulation panels, …) and Automotive transport. Extensions to other application fields like cryogenic insulation are under investigation.

· As previously mentioned, development of nanocomposites with particular optical properties have been initiated for specific device and glazing applications.

· New developments on sol-gel textile composites (like super-insulating blankets) and sol-gel materials for membranes (of fuel cells) are expected, for example, within the frame of FP6.