In today's society, the issue of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry has become increasingly serious. The energy usage in the construction sector accounts for a significant proportion of the global total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. To address this challenge, improving the energy efficiency of buildings has become an urgent need. Concepts such as passive houses and zero-emission buildings have also begun to be applied in practice. Among the numerous measures to enhance building energy efficiency, building insulation and heat preservation undoubtedly represent a crucial step. 
When striving for the highest insulation performance, people have developed many new types of insulation materials and solutions with low thermal conductivity values. Aerogel, one such material, has successfully addressed this challenge. Although aerogel was developed as early as the 1930s, it was not until recently that it gained widespread application in the construction industry. 
So, what exactly is aerogel? 
Aerogel is the lightest solid in the world and also the substance with the lowest density. Not only is it low in density, but it also has a very significant advantage - it is the best insulator of heat. 
Essentially, aerogel is a type of gel. During its production process, the liquid is replaced by gas and does not undergo contraction, thus maintaining the integrity of its molecular structure. Although aerogel is composed of over 98% air, its texture is extremely tough and sturdy. Due to these properties, aerogel is also referred to as "frozen smoke" by people. 
The application of aerogel in residential construction 
The issue of energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the construction industry cannot be ignored. The energy consumption of buildings accounts for 40% of the total energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions account for 36% of the total emissions. Reducing energy consumption in heating and cooling of buildings is an effective and beneficial measure to address climate change. To reduce this energy loss, better insulation materials need to be adopted in accordance with new building regulations. 
The common current solutions for heat insulation often involve increasing the thickness of the insulation materials themselves. However, this approach eventually leads to some negative effects. For instance, in terms of economy, increasing the thickness of the materials will raise the cost; in architectural design, it may affect the spatial layout and aesthetics of the building; in terms of the environment, the use of more materials will also impose certain burdens on the environment. At this point, the aerogel technology comes into play, as it can provide more compact and high-performance insulation materials and solutions. 
Through aerogel, people can overcome the two major obstacles that currently prevent silica aerogel from being widely used in the construction industry. The first obstacle is the poor mechanical properties of aerogel itself, and the second obstacle is the high production and manufacturing costs of it. With aerogel technology, we can create a new type of super-insulating material.