Buildings
Structure, lining, insulation or finish depending on family.
Aerogel earns its keep in systems: a beam, a batt, a fibre blend, a coated steel — rarely a lone coupon.
Products below are cultural landmarks as much as SKUs.
Sectors
Transport
Mass, fire and fatigue rewrite the grade list.
Energy
Heat, voltage and hydrogen compatibility.
Consumer
The volume that pays for the mill.
Medical / food
When allowed — extractables and allergies matter.
Defence / safety
Ballistics, FR clothing, fire stops.
Products
Samuel Kistler
1931
Stardust aerogel
1999–2006
Aspen Pyrogel
2000s–
Mars rover insulation lore
2000s
Translucent granule IGU
2010s
Pipe insulation
2000s–
Silica gel cousin
historic
Frozen smoke photo
1990s–
Pairings
vacuum-insulation
The other ultra-low λ panel.
mineral-wool
The cheap A1 default.
polyurethane-foam
Lower λ than wool, worse fire.
ceramic-fiber
High-T fibrous insulation without the nano-sponge.
If the pairing is wrong, the material will be blamed for a system fault.
Keep exploring
More in Advanced solids
🏎️
Carbon fibre
Polymer-derived filaments with graphite-like sheets — aero, bikes and a fire story that is about the resin, not the fibre.
Overall 49 ⬡Graphene
A one-atom carbon sheet — Nobel-era physics, composites hype, and a few honest electronics and barrier uses.
Overall 50 🩺Nitinol
Near-equiatomic Ni–Ti that remembers shape and super-elasticates — stents, orthodontics and actuators.
Overall 48 ☀️Perovskite (PV)
ABX3 halide crystals that jumped laboratory solar efficiency — still fighting humidity, lead and lifetime.
Overall 26