Airgel, a magical material that changes the world

Lightly known as a "frozen smoke," it resists bomb explosions; it is the best insulation to isolate extreme temperatures; and it's the "best sponge" that can be used to filter sewage. It is an airgel that can be applied to almost any area. The Sunday Times newspaper in the United Kingdom published an article on August 19 entitled "Scientists Calling Airgel a Material That Will Change the World," a summary of the article below.
    Into the 21st century, there is a magical material will be able to make your house against bomb explosions, it can clear water pollutants, and even help people fly to Mars.
    This is the airgel, one of the lightest solids in the world. It can withstand explosive explosions of 1000 kg of explosives, but also isolated from high temperatures above 1300 degrees Celsius.
    Scientists are developing new uses for this material, from the next generation of tennis racquets to super-insulated spacesuits that help humans land on Mars.
    Compared to the magical materials invented in the past - such as phenolic resin in the 1930s, carbon fiber in the 1980s and silicon in the 1990s - the emergence of airgel will be another breakthrough. Northwestern University professor of chemistry, Mercurial Canatsidisi said: "This is really a magical material.It is the lowest density known human products, but very wide range of uses.I think the airgel It can be used in almost any area, like filtering polluted water, isolating extreme temperatures and even making jewelery. "
    Airgel, also known as "frozen smoke", is made by pumping moisture from a silica gel and injecting it into a gas such as carbon dioxide. Such materials can be isolated from extremely hot or cold temperatures and absorb pollutants such as petroleum.
    In fact, an American chemist invented the material as early as 1931, but the early materials made were very fragile and costly, so the use was confined to the laboratory. It was not until ten years ago that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) became interested in this material and gave it more practical use.
    In 1999, NASA equipped a space dust detector with an airgel with a dust catcher in order to capture the dust in the tail of a comet. Last year, this detector brought back a rich sample.
    In 2002, Aspen Airgel, created by NASA, produced a more tolerant and more flexible airgel. It is now being used to make thermal insulation linings for spacesuits in preparation for the 2018 Human Landing Mars Project.
    A Scientist at the company said that an airgel liner 18 mm thick would be enough to keep astronauts cool down to 130 degrees Celsius. "This is the best insulation we've ever seen."
    At present, people are still using airgel manufacturing explosion-proof houses and armored vehicles test. In the lab, a metal disc coated with a 6 mm thick layer of airgel barely hurts under the explosive shock wave.
    Airgel is also environmentally friendly. Some scientists call it "the best sponge", because of its numerous pores on the surface of the water to absorb pollutants is the most ideal.
    Airgel also has many uses in everyday life. Dunlop Sports Equipment has developed a series of squash and tennis racquets that use aerogels, which is said to enhance the hitting power.
    Earlier this year Bob Stoke, 66, became the first British to add aeroelastic insulation to their homes. He said: "The insulation in the house is much better, and I have lowered the heating by 5 degrees.
    Mountaineers have also begun to use this material. Last year, British mountaineer Anne Parmen was wearing airgel on boots and sleeping bags used to climb Mount Everest. She said: "The only problem at the time was that my feet were too hot and troublesome for climbers."
    Although airgel is classified as a solid, 99% of the material is gas. Scientists say that because of the numerous holes and folds in the material, a 1 cm3 airgel can cover a football field if it is fully deployed.

评论

此博客中的热门博文

Count 6 kinds of super-materials technology capable of changing the entire world to create the future

Aerogel Felt

Superficial Analysis on the Properties of Nano Aerogels Thermal Insulation Blanket