Aerogels
What are Aerogels?
To truly understand what an aerogel is you must first make sure you know what
a wet gel is. What to us is a regular gel is in fact called a wet gel. A wet gel is composed of a continuous solid network of the same size and shape of the wet gel with a liquid that
fills the empty space within.
An aerogel is a gel in which the liquid has been replaced by air, hence the name "aerogel" due to the Greek for air being "aero." The
process of replacing the liquid with air is an intricate and delicate set of procedures. However, though the process may be difficult and somewhat costly, the results are nothing short of
amazing. Aerogels possess the lowest density, highest thermal insulation, lowest refractive index, and highest surface area per unit volume of any solid. These are truly remarkable
properties with possibilities just as astounding.
Here's a link to some general physical properties of silica aerogels. (I found this table and couldn't take credit for it)
Physical Properties of Silica Aerogels
The pages below reveal how aerogels were initially created, how the process has been refined, their current uses, their great potential, and the future that lies before them.
Discovery and History // Synthesizing Aerogels // Uses: Current and Future // Research and What Lies Ahead