Aerogel was created in 1931 due to a bet between two scientists. It is considered by some to be the substance that will help humans reach Mars. Silica aerogel, the same ethereal blue material used by NASA to insulate
electronics on the Mars rovers and to capture comet dust on the
Stardust mission.
Also known as frozen smoke and considered world's lowest density solid and best thermal insulating solid.
Ok kids, here you have a very curious example of what Technology can do. I invite you to research for more information and comment with your class-mates and me your discoveries. Remember, always in English!
Now, I leave you with a very curious case: "Miracle Fruits", as you will dicover below these fruits change the form of your taste buds and, of course, the way you perceive flavors. It is not a Technology gadget but when I read it I could not resist sharing it with you.
2) Miracle Fruits.
Miracle Fruits (sometimes called Miracle Berries) have been a
secret wonder of the world for centuries. Though they were first
documented by a French dude in 1725, they'd been consumed for many
generations prior. They were eaten before meals to make the meals
taste better. "How?" you ask. By making sour and bitter foods taste
sweet. "But how?" you scream. The truth is, science doesn't
completely know (it has something to do with the protein
miraculin that bonds to your taste buds, but the exact
cause is still a mystery). But the berries work, and it's a
miracle.
Juan and I, Sofía found this:
ReplyDeleteAerogel has several commercial applications, but primarily has been used as insulation in the windows of office buildings, which its properties are used to prevent loss of heat or cold.
We found too, that aerogel is applicate in tennis raquets.
Well done, you're the first.
ReplyDeleteCARLOS CALVO CORREA AND JOSÉ HERNANDEZ MULERO
ReplyDeleteAerogel is a manufactured material with the lowest bulk density of any known porous solid. It is derived from a gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is an extremely low-density solid, with a notable effectiveness as a thermal insulator. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke, solid air or blue smoke due to its translucent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) to the touch.
Aerogel was first created by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931, as a result of a bet with Charles Learned over who could replace the liquid in 'jellies' with gas without causing shrinkage.
Hi! We are Judit, Bea and Elena,
ReplyDeleteProduction of aerogels is done by the sol-gel process. First a gel is created in solution and then the liquid is carefully removed to leave the aerogel intact.
Aerogel safety depends on the material from which the aerogel is made, i.e., it will be carcinogenic or toxic if the solid component has such characteristics.
Commercially, aerogels have been used in granular form to add insulation to skylights.
Hello! We are Pedro Ruiz and Sergio Fernández and we found this:
ReplyDeleteDespite their name, aerogels are rigid, dry materials and do not resemble a gel in their physical properties; the name comes from the fact that they are derived from gels. Pressing softly on an aerogel typically does not leave a mark; pressing more firmly will leave a permanent depression. Pressing firmly enough will cause a catastrophic breakdown in the sparse structure, causing it to shatter like glass—a property known as friability; although more modern variations do not suffer from this. Despite the fact that it is prone to shattering, it is very strong structurally. Its impressive load bearing abilities are due to the dendritic microstructure, in which spherical particles of average size 2–5 nm are fused together into clusters. These clusters form a three-dimensional highly porous structure of almost fractal chains, with pores just under 100 nm. The average size and density of the pores can be controlled during the manufacturing process.
hello!! we are jorge,marta and yolanda solano and we found this:
ReplyDeletea layer of aerogel can even cover you a flamethrower. it can keep hot( o cold ,as you require) in the Moon.- it´s a material that for its properties insulating ,it has been looked as a component of militar armament,in spite of its low density
In addition, the aerogel can support 1000 times his own weight, It has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the solid that possesses less density in the world.
ReplyDeleteRocio and Alex's (3º-B) answer:
ReplyDeleteWe found that this material, the aerogel, is frequently used as a very light thermal protector for air structures. In theory, it could let us float indefinetly in the air which is very curious and uncommon.
Hello,we´re Luis Fernández Álvarez and Damon Egea Cuenca(3ºA).First,congratulations for the page.Next the information that we´re found of the aerogel:
ReplyDeleteAerogel is a manufactured material with the lowest bulk density of any known porous solid. It is derived from a gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. The result is an extremely low-density solid, with a notable effectiveness as a thermal insulator. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke, solid air or blue smoke due to its translucent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) to the touch.
Aerogel was first created by Samuel Stephens Kistler in 1931, as a result of a bet with Charles Learned over who could replace the liquid in 'jellies' with gas without causing shrinkage.
Aerogels are produced by extracting the liquid component of a gel through supercritical drying. This allows the liquid to be slowly drawn off without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse from capillary action, as would happen with conventional evaporation. The first aerogels were produced from silica gels. Kistler's later work involved aerogels based on alumina, chromia and tin oxide. Carbon aerogels were first developed in the late 1980s.
Hi, we are Victoria Serrano and Mª del Mar Martínez. We have found this:
ReplyDeleteAerogels: 'Solid Smoke' May Have Many Uses
It looks like glass and feels like solidified smoke, but the most interesting features of the new silica aerogels made by UC Davis and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers are too small to see or feel. Lighter than styrofoam, this strange material is riddled with pores just nanometers in size, leaving it 98 percent empty.
The invention could be used for investigating diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and for biological testing devices.
Silica aerogels also have many other applications in fiber optics, insulation against sound or heat, and miniature pumps for built-in refrigeration systems in packaging.
Hy we are Pablo and Javi our comment:
ReplyDeleteAerogels are the world's lightest solid materials, composed of up to 99.98% air by volume. Samuel S. Kistler, en 1931
HELLO SERGIO, We are Alex Sequí,Vicente Liarte and Carlota Fernandez and we have found this:
ReplyDeleteThe substance Aerogel is pure silicon dioxide and sand, is the same material used to manufacture glass. However, the Aerogel is a thousand times less dense because it contains a 99.8 percent air.
It is prepared gelatin, mixing liquid silicon with a fast-evaporating liquid solvent, producing a gel that is then dried in a special instrument of pressure. The mixture thickens, so that with careful heating and depressurizing get a "sponge" silicio.Los crystalline solids lighter and stronger in the world, aerogels may be used for multiple applications, such as building safer buildings or manufacture tires to wear out more slowly.
Its main characteristic: they are almost as light as aire.Los aerogels were originally developed in the 30 years of the twentieth century. Consist of highly porous glass and plastic, remained a curiosity until the 60's, when they began to be considered as an appropriate means for storing liquid rocket fuel.
The first silica aerogels were built and had a chemical composition identical to glassTo improve your strength, Levantis and his colleagues decided to weave threads of silica and polyurethane, but the resulting material was still too fragile. Then chemically joined the threads of glass particles with polyisocyanate, one of the two-component polyurethane. The final material turned out to be, like other aerogels, as light as air, but its strength increased 100 times and was almost insensitive to humidity.
Aerogels are also very resistant to heat transfer, making them very promising and insulators. Surely we'll see you soon in windows, coolers, thermoses, etc..
Also be used in bumper cars, and flak jackets, and the structure must be lightweight vehicles such as airplanes and spacecraft.