☁️ Aerogel: The World’s Lightest Solid and a Marvel of Modern Materials
Aerogel is one of the most fascinating and unique materials ever developed. Sometimes nicknamed “frozen smoke” or “solid air,” aerogel is renowned for being the world’s lightest solid material — and for its astonishing insulating properties.
Invented in the 1930s by Samuel Kistler, aerogel is created by removing the liquid component from a gel and replacing it with gas without collapsing the solid framework. What’s left is a porous, sponge-like structure made up of up to 99.8% air by volume. This remarkable structure gives aerogels their record-breaking low density, translucence, and incredibly low thermal conductivity.
One of the best-known types is silica aerogel, made from silicon dioxide — the same basic material as glass. When held up, it appears ghostly blue and almost weightless. Despite its fragile appearance, aerogel can support thousands of times its own weight.
Aerogel’s standout feature is its superb insulation capability. Its nanoporous network makes it…
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