First Prize for Weird (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20123389/site/newsweek/)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Aerogelbrick.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Aerogel_matches.jpg


Aerogel is a low-density solid-state material derived from gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with gas. The result is an extremely low density solid with several remarkable properties, most notably its effectiveness as an insulator. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke or blue smoke due to its semi-transparent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) to the touch.


Pretty cool stuff :)

Michael

anyone selling it?

I'm not sure where you'd buy it outright but I think the stuff is all over the place, from insulating anything from bulbs to snow-boots?

These people were selling it.
Look at the cost of it!
Wonderful stuff though. Only 3x the weight of air.
And so absorbent that it leaves your skin totally dry if you touch it.
http://www.unitednuclear.com/aerogel.htm

Michael.
Good post, but you are knocking your head against a brick wall posting anything in Chemistry.

Neat stuff. Thanks for the link too :)

These people were selling it.
Look at the cost of it!
Wonderful stuff though. Only 3x the weight of air.
And so absorbent that it leaves your skin totally dry if you touch it.
http://www.unitednuclear.com/aerogel.htmHaa cool - this would be great stuff for a chemistry class :)

With it's insulating properties and slight opacity it would be great for windows in northern climates - if the cost would come down.
I wonder about the UV opacity...

Skylights, maybe?

Posts like this are reasons why this section should be thriving.

Anyone else with something regarding advances in material technology, please post here.

Neat. There has got to be a cheaper way of making it though . . .

Google search: "silica gel" "silicic acid" aerogel (http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&q=%22silica+gel%22+%22silicic+acid%22+aerogel&btnG=Search)

Silicic acid is easy to make from materials like sodium silicate and hydrochloric acid that you can get from the hardware store. Supercritical drying requires over 1,000 PSI if you use carbon dioxide. There are other processes and those take some research.

It looks like it will be a lot easier to make it than to buy it for a while.

can you build a house with it? what about a car engine? where can i get this material?

I recently heard that materials at higher temperatures, usually plasma, changes back to solid at even higher temperatures. When I first heard this I was in awe.