Aerogels are solid materials that are lighter than air. They were first created in 1951 and have excellent insulating properties despite their sparse molecular structure. Aerogels are difficult and expensive to manufacture traditionally but production processes have been streamlined. Aerogels have numerous applications such as capturing space dust for NASA, insulating the Mars Rover, and providing insulation for divers.

1. Aerogels,
Solids Lighter then Air.

2. What are Aerogels?
Aerogels were first created by Samuel Stephens Kistler in
1951.
Strengths
Aerogels are solid, but can be less dense then air.
Despite their sparse molecular structure aerogels are
strong. Aerogels are excellent insulators.
Weaknesses
Aerogels are traditionally expensive and difficult to
manufacture, and they are difficult to handle.

3. Practical Applications
Aerogels have numerous applications. NASA used an aerogel
to capture space dust, with the Stardust spacecraft. NASA also
used an aerogel to insulate the Mars Rover. The US Navy is
investigating the use of aerogels to provide more insulation for
divers. And aerogels are also being used in detectors for
particle physics.
Aerogel blocks on
NASA's stardust
detector
Aerogel as insulation
2 grams of aerogel
supporting 2.4 Kg brick

4. Manufacturing
Aerogels a formed by a process known as supercritical
drying, in which the liquid from the gel base is removed
and replaced by a gas, leaving a solid structure.
Aspen Aerogels is a leading producer of aerogels,
having streamlined to production process to reduce the
cost of production.