Aerogel – Frozen Smoke
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 material with 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.
Aerogels are remarkable thermal insulators , they almost nullify three methods of heat transfer (convection, conduction and radiation). They are good convective inhibitors because air cannot circulate throughout the lattice. Silica aerogel is an especially good conductive insulator because silica is a poor conductor of heat—a metallic aerogel, on the other hand, would be a less effective insulator. Carbon aerogel is a good radiative insulator because carbon absorbs the infrared radiation that transfers heat. The most insulative aerogel is silica aerogel with carbon added to it. (wikipedia)
Video Desc: NASA materials, Aerogel and other
Info: Aerogel - lightest, most expensive stuff in the World - Aerogel, aka "Blue Smoke" is incredible. Devloped by NASA for catching comet dust - people are in awe of it s semi-transparent, eery look
Info: Aerogel is a material developed by the NASA for use in the Pathfinder mission and more recently in the Stardust mission. Nicknamed "solid smoke" silicon dioxid - chemically similar to glass, but a lot less dense: 99.8% of it is air! It can provide 39 times more insulation than fiberglass, an ideal material for capturing high velocity particles in space.
Info: NASA materials, Aerogel and other
