aerogel

It is a solid form of matter with low density in the world. The density is 3 kilograms per cubic meter. The most common is siliconaerogelIt was first created by American scientist Kistler in 1931 through a bet with his friend. There are many types, including silicon-based, carbon based, sulfur based, metal oxide based, metal based, and so on. Aerogel is a compound word. Here aero is an adjective, which means flying. Gel is obviously gel. It literally means a flying gel.

aerogel

Due to its extremely low density, the lighter one is only 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimeter, slightly lower than the density of air, so it is also called "frozen smoke" or "blue smoke". Due to the extremely small particles inside (at the nanometer level), visible light scatters less when passing through it (Rayleigh scattering), just like sunlight passing through air. Therefore, it also appears blue like the sky (if nothing else is mixed in), and slightly red when viewed in front of light. The sky is blue, while the evening sky is red. Due to the fact that more than 80% of the material is air, it has a very good insulation effect, equivalent to the insulation function of 20 to 30 pieces of ordinary glass with a thickness of one inch. Even when placed between a rose and flames, the rose remains unscathed. Gel also has a variety of uses in space exploration, including the Russian "Peace" space station and the American "Mars Pathfinder" probes. Also used in particle physics experiments as a detector for the Cherenkov counter effect. A particle discriminator called gel Cherenkov Counter (ACC) in the Belle experimental detector of B meson factory, a high-energy accelerator research institution, is a new application example. This detector utilizes the low refractive index characteristics between liquids and gases, as well as its high transparency and solid-state properties, which are superior to traditional methods that use low-temperature liquids or high-pressure air. Meanwhile, its lightweight nature is also one of its advantages.