ABSTRACT
The increasing cost of energy, sustainability of natural resources, resilience to natural and manmade disasters, and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions are at the forefront of political and environmental concerns these days. With the technical improvements made in the manufacturing of sealed insulating glass units during the past ve decades, insulating glass units (IGU) in wall systems these days contribute to energy efciency while providing natural daylight, a connection with the outside world, and safety and security for the building occupants. Much of the innovation and improvement in fenestration products that involved insulating glass (IG) also presented specic challenges for the edge seal that sealant manufacturers had to address. Before reviewing the properties of IG sealants, this chapter provides a short historical account of technological developments and their implications on the performance of sealed IGU.
