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Propulsion Laboratory is
holding a sample of aerogel.
WHAT, you may ask, remarkable properties, most cm x 2.5 cm) of aerogel
is aerogel? Aerogel is the notably is its effectiveness as flattened-out would have more
lightest and lowest-density a thermal insulator and its surface area than an entire
solid known to exist. It is a extremely low density. football field! Aerogel's
manufactured material with It is typically 50- superlow density makes it
the lowest bulk density of any 99.5% air, yet can hold 500 useful as a lightweight
known porous solid. It is to 4,000 times its weight in structural material, and its
nicknamed frozen smoke, solid applied force. Aerogel can superhigh internal surface
smoke or blue smoke due to have surface areas ranging area makes it a
its translucent nature and the from 250 to 3,000 square superinsulating solid material.
way light scatters in the meters per gram, meaning
material. It has several that a cubic inch (2.5 cm x 2.5
Many people think that aerogel
SAVE THE
is a new invention. But the truth is,
ENVIRONMENT
Aerogel is described by scientists
aerogel was first created in 1931, almost
as the “ultimate sponge”, with
millions of tiny pores on its
surface making it ideal for 78 years ago. Samuel Stephen Kistler
absorbing pollutants in water. a
new version of aerogel has been was notably the first creator of aerogel.
designed to mop up lead and
mercury from water. Other He was also therefore the first to
versions are designed to absorb
oil spills. commercialize it. He realized that this
FAST FACTS
Aerogel is
99.8% air
39 times more insulating
than the best fibreglass
insulation
1,000 times less dense
than glass
Used on Mars
Pathfinder's rover
Composed of pure silicon
dioxide
Aerogel was invented by an American
chemist for a bet in 1931, but early
versions were so brittle and costly that it
was largely consigned to laboratories.
Rayleigh Scattering