ASU researchers engineer product that minimizes pavement damage in extreme weather

Arizona State University researchers have developed a product that prevents asphalt from softening in extreme heat and becoming brittle in freezing cold. 

The product reduces pavement cracks, lowers maintenance costs for longer-lasting roads, contributes to a more sustainable built environment and potentially decreases the urban heat island effect, where heat stored in urban roads during the day is released at night.

FORTA Professor of Pavement Engineering Kamil Kaloush, Research Assistant Professor Jose Medina Campillo and ASU postdoctoral scholars Carlos Obando and Jolina Karam from the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, collaborated on this project. 

They developed aerogel Modified Bituminous Materials, or aMBx, and created the ASU startup company Aerogel Coating Technologies, or aCT.

An aerogel is a dry, low-density, highly porous solid particle produced by removing liquid from a conventional gel. Aerogel was initially introduced in asphalt materials by Standard Oil Company in 1953, but the mixing procedure had practical and safety issues at that time.

After four years of research, the ASU research team developed encapsulated aerogel particles (aMBx) that address those issues by decreasing the aerogel’s dustiness and improving its safety, says Obando, chief technology officer and co-founder of Aerogel Coating Technologies.

When aMBX is blended into an asphalt mixture, it increases its porosity, providing thermal insulation from heat on the pavement’s surface layer, which significantly decreases temperature fluctuations within the pavement’s structure. 

This reduces thermally induced cracks, increases durability and decreases carbon dioxide emissions, says Kaloush, strategic business officer for Aerogel Coating Technologies.

This is helpful because many regions, including desert climates, experience high daytime air temperatures that can drop by up to 30 degrees F at night, Kaloush says.

“Our technology provides insulation to pavements, and we expect it to significantly increase their service life,” says Medina, chief executive officer of Aerogel Coating Technologies.

“aMBx also can be a significant complementing product to current technologies such as polymers, crumb rubber and fiber additives that have been used to make pavements more resilient and sustainable in extreme climates,” says Obando, who earned his doctoral degree in civil, sustainable and environmental engineering from ASU and is a Fulbright scholar with more than 15 years of professional experience.

Rising temperatures are estimated to add approximately $19 billion to pavement repair and maintenance costs each year by 2040, according to the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2021 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. That’s leading engineers to increasingly consider resilience when selecting materials for use in roads.

“Using aMBx not only translates into economic savings but also reduces the use of virgin materials for maintenance and reconstruction. Initial estimates indicate a reduction of 15% in global warming potential,” Medina says.

The team has added aMBx to other construction materials, including roofing shingles. Preliminary laboratory studies show a six-degree Fahrenheit temperature reduction in attics of homes with asphalt shingles modified with aMBx, which decreases cooling loads in homes and homes’ energy consumption, Karam says.

Aerogel Coating Technologies primarily focuses on regulating temperature fluctuation, which can result in insulating effects or manage heat storage capacity of infrastructure materials.

“The insulating effect provided by our technologies has the potential to decrease energy consumption in homes by 20 to 30%,” Karam says.

As the team continues the development of these technologies, they have the potential to reduce the urban heat island effect caused by roofs and pavements, Medina says.

The idea began after Kaloush was intrigued about a video he had seen while on a plane returning from a business trip. He called Medina into his office to tell him what he’d learned about aerogel’s thermal insulating properties and recommended researching its use in asphalt pavements.

“We assigned it in one of our classes to have a student start the research for a class project,” Medina says. “Later, we pitched the idea to the the Global KAITEKI Center at ASU and they funded a research proposal that Kaloush and Medina put together. Kamil brought on Carlos Obando with this funding, and later Jolina Karam, then the research group took off on the full-scale research.”

Over the years, the team ran some aerogel SEM imaging and analyses for mixtures, binders and sealants at the ASU Core Facilities, Karam said.

The team developed a special process to coat aerogel to make it more compatible and effective with different construction materials such as asphalt, Obando says.

The encapsulating process can be done using different materials — including petroleum-based, bio-derived or polymer-based materials — depending on the availability, cost and purpose, Obando says.

In March 2023, the team saw an opportunity to access ASU funding through the faculty-led entrepreneurship program.

Medina was the only one on the team who qualified for the application, so he left his part-time position at a consulting firm and transitioned from a part-time to a full-time ASU faculty member.

“We gave the pitch and were selected to receive a two-year fellowship. Then, I joined the Venture Devils, participated in Lab to Launch Pitch Day and won additional funds to support field applications efforts,” Medina says. “At the same time, we closed a deal with an angel investor who joined the team. With our industry connections in the field, we landed our first commercial pilot project with Vestar.”

Aerogel Coating Technologies has been establishing relationships and partnerships with industry — from asphalt concrete suppliers to contractors laying down pavement — and encouraging cities and states to try aMBx, Medina says.

“Southwest Asphalt, which produces asphalt concrete, has been helping the ASU research team since day one, with materials and placing our first test sections at their plant,” Medina says.

On Dec. 3, 2020, as part of a project sponsored by The Global KAITEKI Center at ASU, three different asphalt mixtures — control, 10% aMBx and 30% aMBx — were produced in collaboration with Southwest Asphalt, a division of Fisher Industries. This project represents a significant milestone for what is now Aerogel Coating Technologies.

In 2024, Vestar collaborated with aCT to construct a pilot project in one of Vestar’s parking areas at Queen Creek Marketplace in Queen Creek, Arizona.

“This was a great partnership with Vestar. We gained valuable insights into the importance of quality control — before, during and after the project — to ensure the success of our application,” Medina says. “Experiences like these drive us to refine processes such as production and installation, further enhancing the effectiveness of our technologies.”

Aerogel Coating Technologies plans new projects in 2025 in partnership with several agencies and companies, Medina says.

“The Arizona Department of Transportation, or ADOT, is interested in trying the company’s technology in northern Arizona to see if it reduces ice formation on the pavement during the winter, which can decrease safety hazards for road users,” Medina says.

Addressing this issue will also help reduce maintenance costs and improve mobility.

ADOT has actively participated in the Arizona Pavements and Materials Conference, held annually at Arizona State University, including the most recent one held Nov. 18–22, 2024. aCT, Inc. was an exhibitor at this conference and at the International Road Federation Global R2T Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, held Dec. 10–13, 2024.

“At the Arizona conference, we presented our technology, which captured ADOT’s interest. We plan to implement a pilot project with ADOT in spring/summer 2025,” Medina says.

In addition, continued research and implementation of the aCT technologies as a sustainable approach for making more climate-resilient asphalt pavements is also being advanced through the National Center for Infrastructure Transformation, or NCIT, led by Prairie View A&M University. Karam is the postdoctoral researcher working with the NCIT team on the use of aMBx with other technologies.

In 2023, the ASU research group received a Global Road Achievement Award in research from the International Road Federation, which recognizes exemplary projects that place the industry at the forefront of social and economic development.

“We take immense pride in seeing groundbreaking research move beyond the lab and into the world, where it can make a tangible difference,” says Ram Pendyala, director of the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. “The development of this novel pavement technology exemplifies the power of innovation in building more resilient and durable infrastructure, especially in the face of extreme temperatures.

“Even more inspiring is the entrepreneurial drive that has turned this breakthrough into real-world impact through the launch of Aerogel Coating Technologies. This is exactly the kind of ingenuity and leadership that defines our faculty, alumni and students — transforming ideas into solutions that shape the future of cities.”