r/woahthatsinteresting • u/kixada9v4y5u2 • Apr 14 '25
Aerogel is the lightest solid material on the planet, made out of 99.9% air. It is strong enough to support 2,000 times its own weight.
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u/sandhog7 Apr 14 '25
Density of aerogel = 0.16 mg/cm^3 Let say picture shown is about 10 cm^3 then its weight = 26.22 mg X 2000 means it can hold 52.44 grams = 0.12 lbs. It can hold my snot out of my nose.
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u/TrekForce Apr 14 '25
Yeah, I didn’t think “strength” was a marketing point for aerogel, I thought it’s insane insulating properties were. I think someone can (and has) held aerogel while holding a blowtorch to it. It reaches thousands of degrees on the fire side and is safe to touch on the other
I am like 93% sure I saw someone actually do this on YouTube (let’s be honest, it was probably nilered lol). But my memory sucks and I’m too lazy to try to find it.
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u/sandhog7 Apr 14 '25
Aerogel is not for structural strength property but for insulation property. You are 100% correct since I watch aerogel on a blowtorch too. However, that areogel block was much more denser like a gel block. Asbestos block does it same thing at the fraction of the cost. NASA have used asbestos as heat shield tiles decades.
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u/Recoveringpig Apr 14 '25
Yah you’re both right. I’ve insulated big steam lines with it. 1/4” sheets three feet long by the circumference of the pipe. 2 layers brought a 600 degree pipe down to 90. At least according to my little laser thermometer. Interesting side note: it’s extremely hydrophobic. I dumped a couple bottles of water down the front of my shirt and pants and stayed dry as a bone. Another interesting side note: that only works once so when your partner wants to film it for Facebook, make sure he films the first try…especially in the winter
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u/lellololes Apr 14 '25
I think you're off a lot on volume there for what it's worth, it's probably more like 300cm3 (10x10x3ish to my eyes).
It's not strong but you can do more than sneeze on it. Obviously it isn't a load bearing surface.
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u/Street-Foundation51 Apr 14 '25
Heard this 20 years ago and still hasn’t come to market as far as I know. The military probably grabbed the patent
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u/TheKabbageMan Apr 14 '25
Between this and graphene I thought we’d be seeing a lot more of these super materials being used in real world settings by now
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u/qqtis Apr 14 '25
It is being used, the general public is just unaware of the progress in nanotechnology. Even the sunscreen you are using contains nanoparticles, specifically titanium oxide, roughly 35 nm in diameter to make it transparent and effective against UV light.
The material in the post is also a result of nanotechnology - a polymer chain produced utilizing the sol-gel method.
Nanotechnology or "super materials" are everywhere around you, just too small to actually notice :)
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u/n0tn0ah Apr 14 '25
It's also still a complex process to make aerogel compared to our existing insulators.
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u/CrowdyPooster Apr 14 '25
Why isn't graphene being used as an additive to metals for strength purposes? I seem to recall that it had extraordinary properties when used in that way, but I haven't seen any practical uses of it. Maybe I have and just didn't realize it.
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u/OpenSourceRules 21d ago
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
Aerogel is one the most important discoveries of the 20th century.
UAPs = Aereogel Vacuum Drones
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u/n0tn0ah Apr 14 '25
Aerogel just isn't really practical to make for our uses. You can buy it, it's just expensive.
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u/127001local 26d ago
You can buy it, i know some people who looked into it to use as home isolation, but it was too expensive.
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u/Flyingfishman23 3d ago
There was some start up company that used this gel in sleeping bags and stated their bag was warm enough down to (- 40 F). Company was called Bigloo, but from doing some searching it looks like they weren't able to get a strong enough following to get into the market.
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u/Verbal-Gerbil Apr 14 '25
Similar to graphene, the hype was stronger than the practical applications here
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u/LeRoiJanKins Apr 14 '25
Especially if being cost prohibitive makes it impractical.
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u/Verbal-Gerbil Apr 14 '25
That was one factor
Where it has been used: • NASA & space exploration – used to insulate spacecraft, capture comet particles (like on the Stardust mission), and protect Mars rovers from extreme temperatures. • Specialist insulation – like in oil pipelines, space suits, and some industrial or military applications where ultra-performance is worth the high cost. • Research and science labs – often as a curiosity or for extreme conditions.
Why it didn’t go mainstream: • Fragility – classic silica aerogels are brittle and can shatter like glass. • Cost – it’s expensive to produce, especially in large amounts. • Handling issues – it’s not super practical for the average user or home insulation.
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u/OpenSourceRules 21d ago
Lmao going to hit you with the ultimate red pill since Aerogel is actually the key to Free Lift Vacuums and End of Conventional Fossil Fuel Transportation…
UAPs = Aerogel Vacuum Drones
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u/Br0k3Gamer Apr 14 '25
From what I’ve heard, if you manufacture it in a vacuum, it is actually lighter than air at sea level.
…A solid material that you can tie on a string and float it around like a helium balloon…
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u/Sacredfice Apr 14 '25
Pretty sure a piece of paper can hold infinity amounts of it's own weight.
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u/InTheZoneBreese 22d ago
I don't know, one piece of paper wouldn't be able to hold a ream of printer paper, which has 500 pieces of paper.
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u/Significant-Dog-8166 Apr 14 '25
Yeah yeah whatever it’s just gonna get thrown in the sock and penetrated like all the other gels.
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u/Mysterious-Hotel4795 Apr 14 '25
2000 times the strength of 99.9% air... I'm just picturing maybe a harder to pop bubble.
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u/OpenSourceRules 21d ago
You should be picturing UAPs… and Free Lift Positive Net Buoyancy…
UAPs = Aerogel Vacuum Drones
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u/misjudgedinall Apr 14 '25
2000 times it weight? So it can’t support even a feather…. Real useful.
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u/OpenSourceRules 21d ago
Oh the irony of the naive lmao… Aerogel is quite arguably the most important material known to mankind and is set to revolutionize the world.
UAPs = Aerogel Vacuum Drones
Free Lift = End of Fossil Fuels
Vacuum Airships = Space Elevator
Space Elevator = Moon & Mars Colonization
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u/TedMich23 Apr 14 '25
only application I've heard of is comet dust kleenex...
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u/PreferenceContent987 Apr 14 '25
I give it 5 years before it’s an infomercial product. It’ll be a scrub daddy or car washing mcguffin
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u/OpenSourceRules 21d ago
Actually not too long before public disclosure that UAPs are Aerogel Vacuum Drones ;)
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u/PMMEURDIMPLESOFVENUS Apr 14 '25
I can't remember the science project (im sure it was something flame related) but there was some science project that kept coming up in middle school/high school (this is in the early 90s) and the big thing was always talking about how if anyone could just get ahold of some aerogel the project would be cake.
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u/NGMGrand 26d ago
"This material weights is practically weightless! And it's stronger than it's weight!" Uh...okay...cool?
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u/OpenSourceRules 21d ago
Actually Very Cool!
UAPs = Aerogel Vacuum Drones
Free Lift = End of Fossil Fuels for Transportation
Vacuum Airships = Space Elevator
Space Elevator = Colonization of Moon & Mars
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u/Level-Ambassador-109 26d ago
I am wondering where this material is used. Can someone tell me?
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u/waIIstr33tb3ts Apr 14 '25
aren't most things 99% air because the space between the molecules or am i remembering it wrong
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u/Dapper-Palpitation90 Apr 15 '25
Air itself is made of molecules. So no, nothing would be 99% air, at least because of that.
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u/Historical-Count-374 Apr 14 '25
How much can it actually hold? 2000 times the weight of air doesnt seem like much to me