1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

The Newest Wonder Material: "Frozen Smoke"

Discussion in 'Other Sports' started by weslinder, Aug 20, 2007.

  1. weslinder

    weslinder Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2006
    Messages:
    12,983
    Likes Received:
    291
    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2284349.ece

    Scientists hail ‘frozen smoke’ as material that will change world

    [​IMG]

    A miracle material for the 21st century could protect your home against bomb blasts, mop up oil spillages and even help man to fly to Mars.

    Aerogel, one of the world’s lightest solids, can withstand a direct blast of 1kg of dynamite and protect against heat from a blowtorch at more than 1,300C.

    Scientists are working to discover new applications for the substance, ranging from the next generation of tennis rackets to super-insulated space suits for a manned mission to Mars.

    It is expected to rank alongside wonder products from previous generations such as Bakelite in the 1930s, carbon fibre in the 1980s and silicone in the 1990s. Mercouri Kanatzidis, a chemistry professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said: “It is an amazing material. It has the lowest density of any product known to man, yet at the same time it can do so much. I can see aerogel being used for everything from filtering polluted water to insulating against extreme temperatures and even for jewellery.”

    Aerogel is nicknamed “frozen smoke” and is made by extracting water from a silica gel, then replacing it with gas such as carbon dioxide. The result is a substance that is capable of insulating against extreme temperatures and of absorbing pollutants such as crude oil.

    It was invented by an American chemist for a bet in 1931, but early versions were so brittle and costly that it was largely consigned to laboratories. It was not until a decade ago that Nasa started taking an interest in the substance and putting it to a more practical use.

    In 1999 the space agency fitted its Stardust space probe with a mitt packed full of aerogel to catch the dust from a comet’s tail. It returned with a rich collection of samples last year.

    In 2002 Aspen Aerogel, a company created by Nasa, produced a stronger and more flexible version of the gel. It is now being used to develop an insulated lining in space suits for the first manned mission to Mars, scheduled for 2018.

    Mark Krajewski, a senior scientist at the company, believes that an 18mm layer of aerogel will be sufficient to protect astronauts from temperatures as low as -130C. “It is the greatest insulator we’ve ever seen,” he said.

    Aerogel is also being tested for future bombproof housing and armour for military vehicles. In the laboratory, a metal plate coated in 6mm of aerogel was left almost unscathed by a direct dynamite blast.

    It also has green credentials. Aerogel is described by scientists as the “ultimate sponge”, with millions of tiny pores on its surface making it ideal for absorbing pollutants in water.

    Kanatzidis has created a new version of aerogel designed to mop up lead and mercury from water. Other versions are designed to absorb oil spills.

    He is optimistic that it could be used to deal with environmental catastrophes such as the Sea Empress spillage in 1996, when 72,000 tons of crude oil were released off the coast of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.

    Aerogel is also being used for everyday applications. Dunlop, the sports equipment company, has developed a range of squash and tennis rackets strengthened with aerogel, which are said to deliver more power.

    Earlier this year Bob Stoker, 66, from Nottingham, became the first Briton to have his property insulated with aerogel. “The heating has improved significantly. I turned the thermostat down five degrees. It’s been a remarkable transformation,” he said.

    Mountain climbers are also converts. Last year Anne Parmenter, a British mountaineer, climbed Everest using boots that had aerogel insoles, as well as sleeping bags padded with the material. She said at the time: “The only problem I had was that my feet were too hot, which is a great problem to have as a mountaineer.”

    However, it has failed to convince the fashion world. Hugo Boss created a line of winter jackets out of the material but had to withdraw them after complaints that they were too hot.

    Although aerogel is classed as a solid, 99% of the substance is made up of gas, which gives it a cloudy appearance.

    Scientists say that because it has so many millions of pores and ridges, if one cubic centimetre of aerogel were unravelled it would fill an area the size of a football field.

    Its nano-sized pores can not only collect pollutants like a sponge but they also act as air pockets.

    Researchers believe that some versions of aerogel which are made from platinum can be used to speed up the production of hydrogen. As a result, aerogel can be used to make hydrogen-based fuels.
     
  2. MadMax

    MadMax Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 1999
    Messages:
    73,094
    Likes Received:
    18,924
  3. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2002
    Messages:
    25,310
    Likes Received:
    13,143
    i heard about something like this on digg recently. it sounds like something actually new
     
  4. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Contributing Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2006
    Messages:
    21,524
    Likes Received:
    3,361
    i remember the product name being used to catch comet/space debris...didnt remember hearing them go into the all the extra uses that they mentioned in the above article.
     
  5. WildSweet&Cool

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2007
    Messages:
    1,768
    Likes Received:
    0
    Didn't we hear a bunch of lofty promises like this from carbon nanotubes?
     
  6. rhadamanthus

    rhadamanthus Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2002
    Messages:
    14,304
    Likes Received:
    596
    I worked with aerogel back at NASA about 7 years ago for use on the stardust mission. It's not new at all.

    Neat stuff - it's the weirdest thing to hold in your hand because it feels like nothing.
     
  7. cson

    cson Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2000
    Messages:
    3,797
    Likes Received:
    29
    ...and taste like chicken!
     
  8. Surfguy

    Surfguy Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 1999
    Messages:
    22,933
    Likes Received:
    11,297
    Cool...the drug dealers are already on this. Just stick a straw in it and suck it into your lungs for a nice, cold smoke. The cop has no substance to bust you for. All you have to do is let it go up in smoke if you get pulled over.

    "Sure thing, occifer. Go ahead and search my car. Get your dogs in there, too."

    LOL
     
  9. Oski2005

    Oski2005 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2001
    Messages:
    18,100
    Likes Received:
    446
    Will it make softer breast implants?
     
  10. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2000
    Messages:
    18,222
    Likes Received:
    13,423
    Seconded. I've been reading about it for many years.
     
  11. weslinder

    weslinder Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2006
    Messages:
    12,983
    Likes Received:
    291
    You're right, it's not new. It's just all of the proposed uses are new. Here's the quote from the article:

     
  12. Ottomaton

    Ottomaton Contributing Member
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2000
    Messages:
    18,222
    Likes Received:
    13,423
    Let me restate. I've been reading about it as loaded with potential as an insulator and for other uses since the mid 90's. I'm sure one or two of the ideas in the story are relatively new, like the platinum aerogel for hydrogen production, but most of other stuff is old hat.
     
  13. No Worries

    No Worries Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 1999
    Messages:
    29,829
    Likes Received:
    16,682
    [​IMG]
    Toss this in the freezer and what's the big deal?
     
  14. swilkins

    swilkins Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Mar 5, 2003
    Messages:
    7,115
    Likes Received:
    11
    It's no wonder that blowing cigarette smoke in my freezer didn't work. :mad:

    I have learned so much since I quit smoking 7 months ago.
     
  15. Lil

    Lil Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2001
    Messages:
    1,083
    Likes Received:
    1
     
  16. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2002
    Messages:
    55,883
    Likes Received:
    47,582
    They can make the aerogel so that it is lighter than air. :cool:
     
  17. The_Yoyo

    The_Yoyo Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 25, 2001
    Messages:
    16,683
    Likes Received:
    2,872
    my dad worked on the stardust mission and show me some of the stuff on a visit to JPL a 2 years ago its pretty cool stuff.

    for the budgets cuts the govt does for NASA with their missions to space and all they end up inventing a lot of things which makes life easier.
     
  18. WhoMikeJames

    WhoMikeJames Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2005
    Messages:
    12,690
    Likes Received:
    305
    But Will It Blend?
     
  19. lost_elephant

    lost_elephant Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2003
    Messages:
    3,182
    Likes Received:
    138
    i don't know, but its so gellin'
     
  20. Rocket River

    Rocket River Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 1999
    Messages:
    61,246
    Likes Received:
    28,751
    Sounds good to me. . .where can I get some

    Rocket River
     

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now