aerogel

[air-uh-jel]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a gel formed by the dispersion of air in a solidified matrix; a solid foam, as Styrofoam.

aerogel

/ ˈɛərəˌdʒɛl /

noun

1. a colloid that has a continuous solid phase containing dispersed gas

Word History and Origins

Origin of aerogel¹

First recorded in 1920–25; aero- + gel

Example Sentences

Led by Po-Yen Chen, assistant professor in UMD's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the accelerated method to create aerogel materials used in wearable heating applications -- published June 1 in the journal Nature Communications- could automate design processes for new materials.

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But despite their seemingly simplistic nature, the aerogel assembly line is complex; researchers rely on time-intensive experiments and experience-based approaches to explore a vast design space and design the materials.

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Looking ahead, Chen's group will conduct studies to understand the microstructures responsible for aerogel flexibility and strength properties.

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The team says their tool can also be expanded to meet other applications in aerogel design -- such as green technologies used in oil spill cleanup, sustainable energy storage, and thermal energy products like insulating windows.

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The aerogel, with a thickness of about 3 millimetres -- roughly the width of 40 strands of human hair -- demonstrated an impressive performance of absorbing 99.99 per cent of EMW energy.

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