Aerogel: Material of the Future

If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to our feed.

It’s amazing to see how far PaulTech can be ahead when it comes to technology news. For example, back in February of 2007, Paul wrote an article about Aerogel and how it was used to capture comet particulates for NASA and their research. In this article, he expounded on some of the fascinating qualities of this “frozen smoke”: incredible dessication properties, high heat resistance, extremely lightweight, radiation absorption, etc. Now the UK Sunday Times has put out an article about Aerogel and the future applications of this mystery material.

Well, if you haven’t seen the pictures of Aerogel in action, the matches and crayon pictures (at right) show it best: simply awe-inspiring. Apparently, to some, it’s also an answer to pressing questions. Early versions of Aerogel were brittle and costly to make, which means that they didn’t have too many applications; but with flexible, modern varieties, aerogel can be inserted into space suits to insulate and protect the astronauts, used in clothing and footwear for extra protection and insulation, housing materials for extra strength, used to clean up toxic spills, and even tennis rackets can be made from it! Hugo Boss tried to make a winter jacket line using silica aerogel, but had to discontinue it after complaints that the jacket was too hot to wear for long.

It’s a complicated process to make aerogel, but it is worth the hassle. Typically, the water is absorbed from silica gel through supercritical drying and replaced with a supercritical gas (or a gas in its liquid state), usually CO2. For something only comprised of a gas and silica remnants, it has incredible strength. A stress test was performed on a metal plate coated with a measly 6mm of aerogel. After a direct blast from a stick of dynamite, the metal plate was practically unscathed. Such properties could make aerogel an excellent material to use on vehicular or infantry armor.

The only limitation? Cost. What else? Though, as Aerogel comes into the field of view, that could well change. In fact, there are samples of Aerogel for sale at United Nuclear (also a fun distributor of neodymium magnets and other dangerous toys), though, upon last inspection, they are sold out. Either way, there’s a developing market for the material, whether for novelty or industry.

Whether its protecting tanks to flubbing clothing lines (though you could say it is more Mr. Boss’ fault) to showing up in collectors bins, Aerogel is no doubt one of the coolest dog-gone things to come around in a while. To say, “What took so long?!” would be an understatement, but as tales of the benefits of Aerogel are spread, I would expect great things will come from this humble substance.

Pictures courtesy of: PaulTech!, Wikipedia;

Digg it Add to del.icio.us Stumble it add to technorati


Related Posts:

Aerogel Solid Smoke
Do you remember when NASA did the StarDust program? I think it was in 1999. Anyway, the StarDust...

The Ohio State University Solar Breakthrough
Solar energy is on the verge of becoming very commercially viable.  The cost per kilowatt keeps coming down.  But two...

Reprap Open Source Fabrication
Viruses are so powerful because they are self replicating. Networks also make their concerted efforts a debilitating force. ...

InPhase Tapestry Holographic Media
You always see folks holding what looks like plastic cards in science fiction movies. The plastic cards are memory...

Paper Beats Scissors, Too?!
Grrrr, one of these days I'm going to get a post out of the door before Paul, and when that...

•