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.
