Aerogel Explained – The world’s lightest solid element

Aerogel – World’s Lightest Solid Element

Aerogel is the lightest solid materials on earth. Moreover, they have nano-sized pores that make it difficult for cold or hot air to penetrate. It is used to insulate the electronics of the Mars rovers and to capture Comet dust, Aerogels are among the most fascinating materials.

Aerogels and shaped forms look almost like Holograms yet they feel like hard foam. That’s why they are often called frozen smoke or solid smoke. Making them starts with four ingredients a chemical called Tea Moss, methanol, concentrated ammonia, and water.

The specialist adds calculated amounts of tea, moss, and methanol to a beaker that has a magnetic stirrer bead at the base. Then he transfers the beaker to a device that produces a rotating magnetic field. This causes the bead in the bottle to evenly mix the components.

He then pours the mixture into a larger beaker and adds specific amounts of water additional methanol and ammonia hydroxide. As the ingredients are blended a chemical reaction occurs. The Tea Moss water react to form silicon the chemical reaction will also cause the mixture to become a gel.

But before that happens, he immediately prepares the molds. Then he pours pure methanol over a plastic grid and arranges rectangular molds over the grid. He then injects accurate quantities of the silica gel mix into the molds and leaves them to gel.

Aerogel Process

During this process, the methanol beneath the grid evaporates limiting excessive drying of the gels. The mixture coagulates in just minutes but it takes about a day for the gels to fully strengthen.

He then soaks the silica gels and methanol baths frequently over several days. The methanol flows in the pores of the gel to flush out impurities. The gel pores are so minuscule, as they can’t be seen with the naked eye.

The specialist decants the used methanol into a bowl. He will send it to a recycler to remove impurities and this will allow it to be used again in the aerogel production process.

After many days of soaking in methanol, the silica gels are purified. They are ready for a process known as supercritical drying. It is a method that will convert these silica gels into Aerogels.

A technician places the gels in a pressure vessel. Then he locks the heavy steel lid with 12 large bolts and nuts so hold tight against a pressure that’s 100 times greater than that of the normal atmosphere.

Moreover, he connects the hose that delivers liquid and CO2 to the vessel. The liquid CO2 replaces the methanol in the pores of the gel. They then heat and pressurize the gels until the CO2 in them becomes supercritical, it’s semi-liquid send a gas.

Aerogel CO2 Process

The supercritical CO2 scatters out without collapsing the gels solid skeletons. This will convert the silica gels into crystalline solids that are mostly air. As to describe the insulating properties of the nano-sized pores they aim a blow torch under a narrow jaw with a peanut butter cup on the top, it doesn’t melt.

The technician then places the aerogel on a scale to confirm its incredibly low density.

This Aerogel weighs less than a nickel. Next using a scoop, which is a tool with a v-shaped dent he breaks a narrow gel into little pieces. He inserts the bits into a glass tube with the balm at the base. He transfers the tube to a machine that measures how much nitrogen gas the Aerogel bits take up at different pressures to determine the size of the pores and the surface area.

Aerogels can have other magical features. To display, he rubs specially treated aerogel particles on his hands. He then plunges his hands into the water. The Aerogel particles act like waterproof gloves and repel the water.

This water resistance makes aerogels useful for a variety of applications. They can be added to paint or other things to make them waterproof and add insulating properties.

Scientists continue to explore the potential of aerogels. A gossamer synthetic material that weighs almost nothing there’s a lot more to them than it may seem.

Aerogel Price

It’s about $23,000 per pound or $1 per cubic centimeter.

Aerogel Weight

0.0015 gram per cubic centimeter or 1.5 kilograms per cubic meter