Buildings
Structure, lining, insulation or finish depending on family.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Strength12
Heat resistance84
Fire performance86
Insulation98
Workability28
Circularity50
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Is Aerogel non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: silica A1; polymer aerogels not. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Aerogel insulate?
Thermal mark 98/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: silica blankets ~0.015–0.025 W/m·K class.
What is the density band?
~0.003–0.15 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: Kistler 1931; NASA / Aspen 1990s– (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 50/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
silica sinters; organic aerogels burn
heat 84 · fire 86
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
🏎️
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Overall 50 🩺Nitinol
Near-equiatomic Ni–Ti that remembers shape and super-elasticates — stents, orthodontics and actuators.
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Overall 26