Aerogel

5 Comments

I saw the photos of aerogel in the first news stories about the mission to comet Wild 2, but I didn't pay much attention. Now Aaron H. points to a New York Times article on aerogel that has a bunch of interesting info in it.

Some of the info is goofy: the article claims, for example, that a cube of aerogel is "[m]ade of 99.6 percent empty space." The NASA aerogel page makes clear that what that meant to say is that aerogel is 99.8% air.

One of the most interesting things mentioned in the Times article is that it's been around since 1931, but despite its amazing thermoinsulation properties and extremely low density, nobody's done much with it 'til recently.

I'm also intrigued to learn, from NASA's aerogel FAQ, that the stuff has the texture of "volcanic glass pumice or even a very fine, dry sponge"; it really looks like it ought to be wet and gel-textured.

But the main reason I'm mentioning all this is to point you to NASA's aerogel photos, which are way cool. The visual properties of the stuff make pretty much every photo look fake.

5 Responses to “Aerogel”

  1. Shmuel

    Actually, the “empty space” claim is on the NASA page, too: “This is a silicon-based solid with a porous, sponge-like structure in which 99.8 percent of the volume is empty space.” (In the paragraph beginning “To collect particles.” Given that the paragraph in question is concerned with the use of aerogel in outer space, rather than in the Earth’s atmosphere, this would seem to make sense.)

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  2. metasilk

    Porous air-filled sponge? If the circulation in the gel is low, and the gel itself has low heat conductivity that might make great house insulation. Think Owen Corning (maker of pink fiberglas batt, which is pretty standard) is worrying?

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  3. jacob

    Re: aerogel as insulation

    Indeed — it’s used as insulation for some of the electronics in the Mars rover.

    From the Times article:
    “Though it would be very expensive, you could take a two- or three-bedroom house, insulate it with aerogel, and you could heat the house with a candle. But eventually the house would become too hot.”

    My sense is that, for now, “very expensive” is an understatement.

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  4. Scott

    I am looking for a gel that could insulate a house. This gel must be able to produce heat as well as conduct cold. Example. In the summer the gel remains at a cool temperature than the outside temp. And in the winter it can generate heat in the walls. Is there any such type of gel around. Would like to hear from you. Thanks, Scott

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    • rene

      The material your looking for would need to conduct heat in order to absorb it and release it later. Aerogel is the exact opposite it prevents heat transfer. You can achieve what you want using phase change material embedded in paint.

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