Study of physical and mechanical properties of aerogel-modified expanded perlite aggregate and clay (AEP/C) board

The aerogel-modified expanded perlite aggregate and clay (AEP/C) composite boards were produced, and physical and mechanical properties were investigated. The aerogel modification of expanded perlite aggregate was carried out with optimization of the two-step acid-base catalyzed sol–gel method. The perlite shrinkage under high-temperature annealing was prevented by covering perlite surfaces with aerogel modification. The boards with aerogel-modified expanded perlite aggregate (AEP) wrapped by clay matrix were successfully produced. The unit volume mass (UVM) and specific gravity (SG) of AEP/C boards slightly increased to 0.55 ± 0.01 g/cm3 and 2.36 ± 0.01, respectively. On the other hand, produced AEP/C boards’ volume of voids of 36.23 ± 1.05 and water absorption (WA) of 83.91 ± 0.49 % were moderately lower than EPA/C. The mechanical strength of the AEP/C composite boards remained almost unchanged with 0.73 ± 0.04 N/mm2, and the aerogel modification had practically no effect on the mechanical strength of composite boards.