Austin Gellings

Hour 2
Aerogel Paper
Aerogel

Aerogel has been around a lot longer than it is given credit for. Although it has
just recently began to be fully implemented on a large scale, it has been around since
the 1920s. The true cause for the discovery is unknown but on May 16, 1931 Samuel
Kistler had created aerogel. It was not until 1942 however, that aerogels were being
used commercially. This still was not even up to their full potential due to the fact that
they were only being used in painting adhesives as a bonding agent.It was used as a
thermal agent in freezers and a main ingredient in the controversial chemical, napalm.
In order to make this material that is 99.8 percent air, you must use a chemical vapor
decomposition method in order to in order to deposit the aerogel over a chemical
template of your choice. Nearly all non reactive elements will work to do so. Aerogel is
the most efficient insulator known at this time. It allows nearly no energy loss. It is also
nearly ten times more electrically conductive than the current technology we use.If
exposed to too much of any type of liquid it will be extremely detrimental to the
substance though. The aerogel will immediately begin to deteriorate. This is only in
large volumes though. Although it is only in large volumes this would still look to serve a
problem when using aerogels in exposed environments. Fortunately to solve this issue
all that must be done is the changing of the hydroxide molecules from polar to nonpolar.
Aerogel has several uses. Its first uses as discussed earlier were freezer insulation,
napalm, and painting adhesives. Later on after more research was put into the unique

qualities and characteristics of aerogel however NASA began to gain interest in the
material. They first started using it as insulation in their suits and ships. As time goes on
however they hope to use it to build a dome on the moon due to the fact that the
Aerogels insulation property would allow no heat loss but only gain and that it does not
suffer from any form of deterioration. Large scale insulation producers are also hoping
to take advantage of these properties by converting to aerogel insulation and leaving
the fiberglass millennium behind. There has also been research into the use of aerogel
in body armour. If a way is found to reinforce it it would become the ideal material to
use. It is the lightest man made material to date and will not allow heat loss or gain. this
would help soldiers whether fighting in vietnam or Saharan Africa. While aerogel seems
like a long term solution to many of the needs we face today as a society, there is one
issue holding it back. It still remains extremely expensive to produce, but even with the
expense it is still a long term solution to several problems and would result in the saving
of billions of dollars on a long term basis. Aerogel has become the future. The ninety
nine percent air substance has set a new standard to beat in many fields and may result
in a better more efficient future; helping to improve and possibly save the lives of billions
of people in the coming future.

Works Cited:
"History & Future - Aerogel - The Guinness Book of Records Champion Material." History & Future - Aerogel - The Guinness Book
of Records Champion Material. Web. 27 May 2015.
"Part 1: Samuel Kistler, Inventor of Aerogel." Aerogelorg RSS. Web. 27 May 2015.
"Aerogel.org Hollow Nanoframeworks (HNFs)." Aerogelorg RSS. Web. 27 May 2015.

"Aerogels Materials as Space Debris Collectors." Aerogels Materials as Space Debris Collectors. Web. 27 May 2015.
"RSC Advances." Enhanced Power Factor within Graphene Hybridized Carbon Aerogels - (RSC Publishing). Web. 27 May 2015.