ALL ABOUT AEROGEL
Aerogel is nanotechnology
• A nanometer is
1 billionth of a meter.
• A hair is 80,000
nm wide.
• Aerogel is a glass
foam with bubbles
10 nm wide.
Scanning electron microscope picture of aerogel
(Photo: Mohan Edirisinghe, University College, London and Paolo Colombo. Used by permission)
Why is aerogel blue?
• The sky, glaciers and
aerogel all have tiny
particles or bubbles
that scatter light.
• Blue scatters the most,
so they all look blue.
What is aerogel good for?
• Tiny bubbles make
amazing insulators
• 40 times better
than fiberglass
NASA photo
Aerogel insulates
• Aerogel panels in
OMSI’s roof!
• Keeps building warm
• Lets light through
Aerogel is strong
• Aerogel is super
strong for its weight.
• A 2.5 kg brick
supported on top of
a piece of aerogel
weighing only 2
grams – over 1000
times lighter!
NASA photo
Strength under pressure
• Mix alcohol and silicon
together
• Under high pressure
and temperature,
replace liquid with gas
(CC) Stian Martinsen via Flickr
Aerogel is light
• NASA uses aerogel
because it’s really
lightweight.
• Cheaper to fly
into space
• Used on the
Stardust probe
NASA photo
Catching comets
• Tiny particles of
space dust get stuck
in aerogel.
Stardust @ home
• You can look at
particles yourself!
http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ss_tutorial.php?schedule_number=10
• http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
• This project was supported by the
National Science Foundation
under Grant No. ESI-0532536.
• Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations
are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the
Foundation.