Aerogel is a new lightweight nano porous amorphous solid material.[1]Due to the unique nano porous structure, its properties are obviously different from macroscopic glassy materials.The unique properties of aerogel include: ‘high surface area(>1000m2/g), low refractive index(<1.1), low conductivity(<1.7), low conductivity(~0.017W/m*K), low propagation speed(<100m/s) and low density(<100kg/m3)’[2] Especially the low density, aerogel is a material that is 99.8% air, thus it's the least dense solid in the world. With the deepening of research, its potential application value is constantly being reflected. They are mainly focused on the fields of heat, adsorption, catalysis and electronics.[3]
Discovery