Aerogel now publicly available in sample quantities

From: Greg Perry <gr..._at_liveammo.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 21:27:50 -0500

Aerogel is made from Silicon Dioxide, the same material as ordinary
Glass, only 1,000 times less dense.

Aerogel (also called 'frozen smoke' because of its hazy blue
appearance), is a truly remarkable material.

It is the lightest and lowest-density solid known to exist, and holds an
unbelievable 15 entries in the Guinness Book of World Records,
including best insulator and lowest density solid.

Aerogel is composed of 99.8% air and is chemically similar to ordinary
glass.

Being the world's lightest known solid, it weighs only three times that
of air.

When handled, Aerogel feels like a very light, hard foam. Being
chemically similar to glass, it also happens to shatter like glass, yet
is incredibly strong structurally, and can support thousands of times
its own weight. Theoretically, a block weighing less than a pound could
support a weight of half a ton.

Due to its microstructure, Aerogel is a powerful desiccant, rapidly
absorbing any moisture in your fingertips when held. This usually leaves
some dry spots on the skin that disappear in a short time.

Aerogel's true strength is its incredible insulating properties. It
negates just about any kind of energy transfer - thermal, electrical or
acoustic.

A one-inch thick Aerogel window has the same insulation value as 15
panes of glass and trapped air - which means a conventional window would
have to be ten-inches thick to equal a one-inch thick Aerogel window.

Aerogel's density is just 3 milligrams per cubic centimeter. Its
melting point is 2,200 degrees F (1,200 degrees C).

A large panel of Aerogel was most recently used by NASA in the Stardust
mission, which successfully collected collect comet & interstellar dust
samples & returned them to Earth. Previously, it was used in the Mars
Pathfinder Rover to insulate its components from the large temperature
swings on Mars.
Received on Sat Mar 02 2024 - 00:57:20 CST