Frozen Smoke
Kirt's Cogitations™ #58

RF Cafe University"Factoids," "Kirt's Cogitations," and "Tech Topics Smorgasbord" are all manifestations of my ranting on various subjects relevant (usually) to the overall RF Cafe theme. All may be accessed on these pages:

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Frozen Smoke

Aerogel, developed in the 1930s, is 99.9% air and 0.1% silica dioxide. It's often referred to as "frozen smoke" due to its phantom-like appearance. Its incredibly large internal surface area means that a sugar cube size volume of the stuff would "unfold" to fill the area of a football field. Aerogel can support tremendous weight for its mass and provides 39 times the insulation rating as fiberglass. It is so fragile that it has to be handled with gloves to avoid permanent fingerprinting.