Good Evening SuperForest!
Do you ever have those days where by random happenstance you come across something – not a new discovery or invention, but just a fact, a thing, perhaps common knowledge, certainly a “why yes of course, didn’t you know?” in many people’s lives, that’s simply existing in the absence of your awareness – and you think, I can’t believe this was out there and I had no idea? Well, for me, until today, this was a world without aerogel. But, no longer!
THIS friends, is aerogel:
such stuff as dreams are made of
Also known as “frozen smoke” due to their pretty magical appearance, aerogels are the lightest solids in the world! Created by extracting liquid from a silica gel, they consist of 95-99% air (so are almost weightless), but with a fabulous catalogue of properties: aerogel can withstand a direct blast of 1kg of dynamite and protect against heat from a blowtorch at more than 1,300C. And, because it is so porous, it can act as the “ultimate sponge”. An aerogel has even been developed that, when the air is sucked out of it, is *lighter* than air!
It was invented in 1931, by chemist Samuel Kistler for a bet, but was too brittle to be useful – so nothing came of it until NASA started researching it in the late 1990s to insulate space shuttles and to collect stardust from a comet trail (really). Then, as with so much NASA R&D, moved to the mainstream where companies continue to develop it for new uses.
NASA, I heart you: first velcro, now this?!
The applications aerogels are already being put to or developed for include super efficient house insulation, super warm blankets, spacesuits, soaking up pollutants and even tennis rackets. And just think what we could do! a beautifully warm house you could carry on your back! balloons light enough and strong enough to lift you above the rooftops?
I’m no expert on the science, or if it’s as crazy awesome as it sounds (and looks), but what I really love is that when I woke up this morning, I had no idea such a substance even existed! Maybe everyone knew except me?! – and it fills me with a joyous thirst to know what else I’m missing out on in this fabulous world of ours :)
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