j4bberw0ck
21-Aug-07, 11:50
Amazing (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2284349.ece).
Stuff like this underlines the ingenuity of the human race. But what a shame that the chemist who first prepared an aerogel for a bet, in 1931, didn't even get his name mentioned. Google to the rescue: one Steven S. Kistler, College of the Pacific, Stockton, California.
Why the Times chose now to publish an article about it now, I don't know - - it's quite clear from Google references there's work been done on aerogels for years. Maybe it was the possibility of use of a platinum-derived aerogel as a catalyst for producing hydrogen as a fuel. Still a fascinating thought though that at 0.003 grams per cm^3, a cubic metre of aerogel weighs 3 kg - 3 bags of sugar. One m^3 of air weighs 1.2 kg.
Might be bit heavier with platinum in it, mind :lol:
Stuff like this underlines the ingenuity of the human race. But what a shame that the chemist who first prepared an aerogel for a bet, in 1931, didn't even get his name mentioned. Google to the rescue: one Steven S. Kistler, College of the Pacific, Stockton, California.
Why the Times chose now to publish an article about it now, I don't know - - it's quite clear from Google references there's work been done on aerogels for years. Maybe it was the possibility of use of a platinum-derived aerogel as a catalyst for producing hydrogen as a fuel. Still a fascinating thought though that at 0.003 grams per cm^3, a cubic metre of aerogel weighs 3 kg - 3 bags of sugar. One m^3 of air weighs 1.2 kg.
Might be bit heavier with platinum in it, mind :lol: