Known as “frozen smoke”, Aerogel is the world’s greatest insulating material, holding 15 Guinness World Records, more than any other material. It can stop intense heat and cold– if you were wearing a sheet of it, a flamethrower wouldn’t break a sweat on you. Whereas typical house insulation has an R-factor of 13, Aerogel can top 100.
The super thin insulating material is derived from the gels of alumina, chromia, tin oxide, or carbon by a process called supercritical drying. The liquid component of the gel is replaced with gas so that it is 99.8% empty space. Its melting point is 2200° Fahrenheit.
Aerogel was first created in 1931 by Steven Kistler. He supposedly created it on a bet with Charles Learned over who could replace the liquid inside a jelly jar with gas without causing shrinkage.
Source: Wikipedia.
Other Posts on New Building Materials:
Bitublocks and Vegeblocks (bricks made from trash)
LiTraCon (see-through concrete)
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