Aerogel

What is Aerogel? 

Aerogel, primarily composed of air, is considered one of the world’s lightest solid materials. Not only is aerogel extremely lightweight, but it also possesses the ability to have a low bulk density, high porosity, heat resistance, and an extremely high surface area. Other than the 99.98% composition of air, aerogel is made of silica. This silica is combined with a solvent to create a gel-like substance which then undergoes fluid extraction through the addition of  liquid carbon dioxide. The added carbon dioxide is processed throughout and proceeds to be exerted as a liquid or a solid, releasing the liquids in the gel, thus creating aerogel. 

What is aerogel used for?

Aerogel is found throughout many applications and is used in many different ways. Its structure contains microscopic pores which even air particles are unable to travel through, providing aerogel with its insulating properties. Due to the extreme insulating properties, aerogel can be found everywhere: from space, as a Mars Rover, to even commonly used commercial products. 

For example, x-aerogels, a mechanically strong type of aerogel, has been commercially available as of recently but is typically only sold in small portions no larger than the size of a small wallet. Portions of this material are also found in sections of technology including the back panel of the Google Nexus 7 tablet. There has been little progress in terms of using this material to build large-scale projects but companies are manufacturing larger and larger panels with the hope of becoming a sustainable replacement for anywhere where weight and cost are linear, striving to be a replacement for plastics. 

Future of Aerogels:

NASA successfully developed a form of aerogel infused and enhanced with polymers. Though sacrificing part of the density, the polymer-infused aerogels are 100 times stronger than their native counterparts. 

With this, companies such as NASA, hope to further the development and usage of aerogel with the dream of bringing this lightweight, durable, insulating device into areas beyond what lies on Earth and into the aerospace field. Thus, the future of aerogel seems to be shining brightly as progress is made in innovation and the discovery of its uses increases. 

References

“Polymer Cross-Linked Aerogels (X-Aerogels).” NASA, NASA, technology.nasa.gov/patent/LEW-TOPS-20#:~:text=NASA’s%20Glenn%20Research%20Center%20(GRC,more%20than%20100%20times%20stronger. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.

 “Aerogels: Thinner, Lighter, Stronger.” NASA, NASA, 25 July 2023, www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/aerogels-thinner-lighter-stronger/#:~:text=Since%20their%20invention%2C%20aerogels%20have,carbon%20dioxide%20into%20the%20gel.

“Aerogels.” Aerogels - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/aerogels#:~:text=Aerogels%20are%20a%20unique%20class,constant%2C%20and%20low%20refractive%20index. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.

“The Blog.” Aerogelorg RSS, www.aerogel.org/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2023.