Aerogel – lightest, most expensive material in the world
July 19, 2007 by Geeks are Sexy | 9 comments
Composed of 99% of air, Aerogel, aka “Blue Smoke”, is an absolutely amazing material that was originally developed by Steven Kistler back in 1931.
Aerogel is a low-density solid-state material derived from gel in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with gas. The result is an extremely low density solid with several remarkable properties, most notably its effectiveness as an insulator. It is nicknamed frozen smoke, solid smoke or blue smoke due to its semi-transparent nature and the way light scatters in the material; however, it feels like expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) to the touch. (Source: Wikipedia)
- The world is ending: Meteorite on track to hit earth next week
- Sony Unveils the Much-Rumored Vaio P, World’s Lightest 8-inch Netbook!
- Expensive Wii is still just a Wii
- Toyota Tacoma meets World of Warcraft
Did you enjoy this post? If so, subscribe to the geeksaresexy RSS feed.
Subscribe by Email













isn’t that a leftover from the Beyond 2000 days? Did they do a house cleaning??
If I recall correctly, it withstands fire very well.
Looks like it’s used for insulation in some cases.
i can’t believe i just watched that whole video….
The video was pretty boring, but the Wikipedia article was fascinating. Too bad the stuff is so expensive to make.
>>Dunlop tennis has recently incorporated Aerogel into the mold of its new series of racquets
That’s not the most expensive material…
When it comes to cost per weight, yes it is.
well of course for weight, as it weighs so little per gram