[TheForge] Possible gas forge insulator? "protects against heat from blowtorch at 2, 400 degrees"

[Saint Phlip]

Might be a bit pricy-

http://digg.com/tech_news/Now_You_Can_Buy_Aerogel

On 8/19/07, Rob Fertner <rfertner at cox.net> wrote:
> >From The Sunday TimesAugust 19, 2007
>
> Scientists hail 'frozen smoke' as material that will change world
> Abul Taher
> 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.
>
>
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-- 
Saint Phlip

Heat it up
Hit it hard
Repent as necessary.

Priorities:

It's the smith who makes the tools, not the tools which make the smith.

Denial of evidence is not refutation of evidence.

Blessed be the self-righteous, for they shall inherit themselves.