The Digital Walters. The Walters Art Museum. Lending library. Science Photo Library. Aerogel. A block of aerogel in a person's hand 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.[3][4] IUPAC definition Gel comprised of a microporous solid in which the dispersed phase is a gas.
Note 1: Microporous silica, microporous glass, and zeolites are common examples of aerogels. Note 2: Corrected from ref. [4], where the definition is a repetition of the incorrect definition of a gel followed by an inexplicit reference to the porosity of the structure. [6] Properties[edit] A flower is on a piece of aerogel which is suspended over a flame from a Bunsen burner. Aerogels are good thermal insulators because they almost nullify two of the three methods of heat transfer (convection, conduction, and radiation).
Owing to its hygroscopic nature, aerogel feels dry and acts as a strong desiccant. Knudsen effect[edit] Materials[edit] Silica[edit] Carbon[edit] Alumina[edit]