Uses: Current and Future

Current Uses: In Scientific Fields

             One of the first uses for aerogels in a scientific field, and an area in which they are still used, is in Cherenkov radiation

detectors. Aerogels are so useful as mediums for Cherenkov production and detection mainly because of two things. They have a 

low refractive indices and yet are much easier to handle than cryogenic liquids or compressed gases with similar refractive

indices. Due to the low density of aerogels, they have low refractive indices which make it possible to obtain high threshold values

of the velocity of detected particles  b₀ = 0.935-0.993 which is amazingly good.

              Aerogels have also been used to conduct experiment with lasers to help explain the phenomena accompanying supernova

explosions. In the experiments, the aerogel served as a skeleton for holding liquid or solid deuterium-tritium that was used as the

target for the lasers. Aerogels were extremely useful due to the dimensions of the pores in the gels being so small. This made it so

they could detect only short-range nuclear radiation. The aerogel also had the advantage of having a high radiation resistance and

meeting the "wettability" (no I didn't make up the word) requirements of the liquid filler. In the laser experiments, the phenomena

which scientists were wishing to detect were more pronounced when the difference between the density of the skeleton and that of

the filler was greater. Since aerogels possess the lowest density of any solid, the benefit is obvious.

              There are many other uses of aerogels in fields of scientific research. However, there are far too many to give

explanation to here. They include things such as production of muonium, superfluidity of liquids, space dust collecters, purification

of liquids and gases, absorbing long-lived nuclear waste, fluorescent centers, thermal insulation, detection of harmful

microorganisms, and many more applications.

Current Uses: Industry

            In the current industry, aerogels are not widely used. Their potential is seen but research and advancement must be made

before any large scale incorporation of aerogels is made in the industrial sector. However, aerogels have begun to make their

way into the commercial arena. They can now be purchased by anyone from various different manufacturers. It is also possible to

purchase aerogels created from various materials and of varying qualities.

            It is not true to say that aerogels do not appear anywhere in the industrial sector at this time. They simply are limited in

their applications at the current moment in time due to research being unfinished and due to both cost and time of production being

uneconomical for business. Aerogels do currently appear in products such as capacitors, in paints and cosmetics as thickening

agents, and chemical absorbers for cleaning chemical spills.

Future Uses: In Scientific Fields

            In the future scientists hope to be able to use aerogels in an array of different ways to conduct different experiments. They

hope to use aerogels in solar-energy collectors for example. In solar-energy collectors, strongly absorbing nonreflecting materials

are required. Carbon aerogels serve this purpose well with their rough surface and multiple internal scatterings which increase the

probability of light absorption. Scientists also look to create various other useful things from aerogels for use in research. They

include things such as safety glasses that are worn when working with lasers and insulation for sensitive equipment.

Future Uses: Industry

            The majority of the future uses for aerogels lie in industrial areas by far. The possibilities are vast and range from the

exotic to the very practical. One use lies in the realm of fiber optics. The core in a fiber optics cable is formed of fibers and the

cladding (exterior) must have an inferior refractive index. The amount of light that travels through a fiber optics cable is dependent

on how low the refractive index of the cladding is. Thus it has been proposed that aerogel be used as the cladding due to the very

low refractive index of some aerogels.

            The application that probably sparks the most interest is that of aerogel windows. Since aerogel has the equivalent thermal

insulating quality of 10-20 glass window panes, energy conservation could be greatly affected and the cost of heating homes

lowered. This would be especially useful in cold climates. These windows would also be good for keeping heat out during hot

times of year or in hot climates. For example, a single inch of aerogel is significant enough to protect a human hand from a blow

torch as displayed in the photo below.

              The other uses which hopefully will eventually occur in the industrial sector include using aerogel to improve acoustics in

rooms, virus and bacteria detectors, water and air purifiers, computer processors, and in the field of electrical engineering

especially . However, I am sure that aerogels will in no way be limited to these uses alone. There are many more that are being

researched at this point in time. The uses presented here are simply a few examples of the varied future uses. 

Discovery and History  //  Synthesizing Aerogels   //  Uses: Current and Future   //   Research and What Lies Ahead