# Battery makers widen aerogel sheet adoption as EV thermal propagation rules tighten *Stringent fire safety mandates in China, Europe, and the United States push automakers and cell suppliers toward thin silica aerogel composite barriers.* **Published:** August 29, 2026 **By:** Mina Okoro **Section:** Batteries & Electric Vehicles — Cross-border **Format:** Why It Matters **Confidence:** high **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/batteries-ev/battery-makers-widen-aerogel-sheet-adoption-ev-thermal-propagation-110 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - Automotive safety regulators have sharply increased compliance thresholds for thermal containment. - Meeting these standards requires inter-cell barrier materials capable of withstanding local temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius while fitting into clearance gaps as narrow as 0. - In South Korea, specialty chemical and materials suppliers are scaling commercial output to serve domestic cell makers and global original equipment manufacturers. ![An engineer examines an aerogel thermal insulation sheet beside electric vehicle battery components in a modern facility. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-08-28-eb3307e7db88.webp) *An engineer examines an aerogel thermal insulation sheet beside electric vehicle battery components in a modern facility. (AI-generated image)* Electric vehicle battery manufacturers across South Korea and China are expanding the commercial adoption of aerogel-based thermal insulation sheets across cell-to-pack and high-density module architectures, responding to stricter international regulatory mandates aimed at halting cell-to-cell thermal propagation. The transition from legacy mica sheets and ceramic fiber blankets to aerogel composites reflects structural demands to maintain volumetric energy density while preventing fire cascading in nickel-rich and lithium iron phosphate battery packs. Automotive safety regulators have sharply increased compliance thresholds for thermal containment. China's GB 38031 standard mandates that a traction battery pack must not catch fire or explode within five minutes of an individual cell entering thermal runaway, granting vehicle occupants critical egress time. In international markets, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has enforced comparable propagation containment requirements under UNECE Regulation No. 100, while the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has advanced thermal safety protocols under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 305a. Meeting these standards requires inter-cell barrier materials capable of withstanding local temperatures exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius while fitting into clearance gaps as narrow as 0.4 to 3.0 millimeters. Silica aerogels, characterized by a nanoporous framework where air pockets account for more than 95 percent of the total volume, deliver thermal conductivity ratings below 0.020 watts per meter-kelvin under ambient conditions. That physical property allows pack architects to isolate thermal runaway events without sacrificing volumetric cell packing efficiency. In South Korea, specialty chemical and materials suppliers are scaling commercial output to serve domestic cell makers and global original equipment manufacturers. LG Chem unveiled its proprietary aerogel-based thermal insulation brand, Nexula, integrating the material into a multi-tiered safety system alongside its Super Flame Barrier engineering plastics. The material system combines flame-retardant thermoplastics that form dense protective char structures under heat with ultra-thin aerogel barrier pads positioned between individual pouch and prismatic cells. South Korean precision component suppliers have simultaneously deployed ambient pressure drying manufacturing lines, departing from higher-cost supercritical carbon dioxide drying processes. This process transition has enabled the mass fabrication of 0.4 to 5.0 millimeter aerogel composite sheets reinforced with ceramic-coated films and glass fiber matrices, addressing dust generation and mechanical shear vulnerabilities during pack assembly. In China, tier-one battery manufacturers have integrated aerogel barrier pads directly into cell-to-pack (CTP) structural configurations. Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) and BYD have integrated silica and polyimide aerogel composite sheets between large-format prismatic and blade cells to prevent cascade ignition across pack enclosures that eliminate intermediate module structures. In these cell-to-pack layouts, the structural insulation pad must perform dual duties, serving as a permanent mechanical compression cushion across charge-discharge expansion cycles while acting as an emergency fire barrier. The shift toward standardized aerogel adoption has reshaped North American and European automotive supply chains. Aspen Aerogels reported 2024 annual revenue of $452.7 million, representing a 90 percent increase year-over-year, driven primarily by $306.8 million in sales of its PyroThin aerogel thermal barrier products. Aspen Aerogels maintains multi-year commercial supply contracts with General Motors for its Ultium battery platform and with Toyota Motor for global electric platform programs, producing barrier assemblies from its assembly infrastructure in Mexico and domestic facilities in the United States. Automotive procurement teams face a shifting cost-to-performance calculation as safety regulations expand beyond premium vehicle segments into mass-market EV lines. While aerogel barrier composites carry a per-square-meter price premium over compressed mica plates and mineral wool insulation, the material saves pack envelope space, enabling engineers to preserve battery cell capacity without re-engineering aluminum enclosure enclosures. The integration of high-nickel chemistries, which exhibit lower thermal onset thresholds during internal short circuits, has cemented the requirement for sub-millimeter thermal barriers with ultra-low thermal diffusion. Battery design teams are currently validating second-generation aerogel composites that laminate aerogel cores between polyimide films, ceramic coatings, and pressure-sensitive functional adhesives. These pre-laminated pad assemblies allow automated robotic pick-and-place equipment to install cell barriers directly onto module assembly lines at commercial cycle times. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Aerogel thermal barrier mandate | chemical makers commercialize nexula | ctp packs adopt aerogel pads | oems contract external aerogel suppliers | cell-to-cell fire safety compliance standardizes | ## In this story - **Companies:** LG Chem, Aspen Aerogels, Contemporary Amperex Technology, BYD, General Motors, Toyota Motor - **Tickers:** 051910.KS, ASPN, 300750.SZ, 002594.SZ, GM, 7203.T - **Exposed:** LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, SK On - **Policy:** Economic Security - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Cost Structure, Compliance ## Primary sources 1. sec.gov 2. aerogel.com 3. jiosaerogel.com 4. theguru.co.kr 5. lgcorp.com --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "Battery makers widen aerogel sheet adoption as EV thermal propagation rules tighten," August 29, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/batteries-ev/battery-makers-widen-aerogel-sheet-adoption-ev-thermal-propagation-110