Monday 7 April 2014

Aerogel, a solid air!!

Derived from a gel, Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultralight material in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas.The final product is a solid material with low thermal conductivity and extremely low density, as known as frozen smoke.Its translucent in nature and the  light scatters in the material.

Formation-Liquid component is extracted from gel by applying supercritical drying to obtain aerogels, allowing the liquid to be slowly dried off without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse from capillary action.

Properties-
  • Low dielectric constant.
  • Low sound speed.
  • Low refractive index.
  • Low thermal conductivity.
  • Low mean free path of diffusion.
  • High specific surface area.
Types-
  • Silica aerogel.
  • Carbon aerogel.
  • Alumina aerogel.
  • Seagel.
  • Chalogel.

(Source-Google images)
Applications-
  • In radiation detection.
  • Thin films in high-speed,integrated digital and microwave circuitry.
  • Absorbs kinetic energy.
  • Fire-retardant Packing Materials.
  • Waste Gas Capture before emission to atmosphere.
  • Sound Insulator.
  • Crucible material for microgravity solidification research.
  • Active and Passive Components in Optical Sensors.
Trend And Market Forecast-
Global aerogel production was worth $115.7 million in 2011. This value is expected to increase from $174.6 million in 2012 to $1,379.6 million in 2017 at a CAGR of 51.2%. North America is expected to continue to lead the global aerogel market in the next five years

Aerogel Production, by Geography, 2011 ($million)
Aerogel Market 
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