Essay --

In 1931, Samuel Kistler created aerogel, the least dense solid in the world. Known for its ultra lightweight and unimagined insulating ability, recent developments have shown aerogels potential in a wide variety of areas. Recently NASA for has utilise it to insulate Mars rovers and space suits. In addition to this, its extremely down in the m emergeh density was utilized to catch dust particles in space, which would otherwise zap if they came in contact with solids at high speeds. Its insulating ability combined with its hygroscopic nature allow it to be very useful in both(prenominal) spacecraft and aircraft maintenance, as they keep ice from forming on the wings of the vehicle. cod to its incredible versatility and ultra lightweight, aerogel is a visible of the future that will be utilized heavily in days to come.In the 1930s Samuel Kistler withdraw all liquid state from a silicon gel to produce an ultra-light existent that functioned as an extremely efficient insulator, and named his discovery aerogel. It was initially marketed as an insulator, entirely due to developments in efficient insulation not being of antecedency in the 30s, Aerogel development stalled. In the 1980s, Aerogel development resumed as cypher efficiency became a salient issue in America. (Aerogel Crystal Structure, 2005) Although it was deemed besides costly for municipal use as insulation, the development of aerogels for commercial and armed services use has since taken off.Aerogel is produced by making a gel out of a desired material such as silicon, and replacing the liquid in a gel with a pure solvent. Then, the liquid in the gel is heated and pressurized so that it enters a supercritical state, where it can dramatize and compress like a gas, but has the density and thermal conduction of a liquid. (H... ... greatly reduce the weight of planes and other military equipment. (DARPA Awards Aspen Aerogels, 2004) repayable to their relatively high cost, the main consumer s of aerogels are government agencies and large companies.The incredible capabilities and extreme versatility of aerogels provide a bright future for this technologically locomote material. As space exploration expands, lightweight insulation will be at a premium, and demand for aerogels will grow exponentially. In addition, its applications in the military and environmental uses will keep this material relevant for years to come. I believe that as research and development of aerogels continues, the cost of this material will decline to the point that it will become accessible to the average out consumer, and could be used in protective gear or as originally conceived, as a cost efficient insulator for domestic uses.