Silica Gel microfibres by electrospinning for adsorption heat pumps

Silica gel is one of the most used porous material in commercial water adsorption heat pumps and chillers for the inexpensive cost and large market availability. In most applications, silica gel is used as granules with limitation in heat transfer and material hydrothermal stability. In this work, preliminary results of a new hybrid material made of microfibres obtained by the electrospinning of silica gel/polymer solutions are presented. The microfibres coating shows high surface area, high permeability and thermal stability combined with mechanical stability. Measurements of water adsorption properties of silica gel microfibres show that the original porosity and water uptake capability of the adsorbing component is largely preserved