Silica Aerogel
Silica Aerogels are generally known for being an extremely lightweight transparent solid (down to <0.05 g/cm3) with excellent thermal insulating properties, high temperature stability, very low dielectric constant, and extremely high surface area. Some initial applications have included atomic particle detectors and super insulation for aerospace applications and they were used to insulate the Mars rover.
Our standard silica aerogel is formed into translucent monolithic blocks with carefully controlled densities. The standard density is nominally 0.1 g/cm3 with a surface area of about 800 m2/g. Densities from 0.01 to 0.30 g/cm3 are commonly available. As the silica aerogel monolithic blocks are quite friable, we offer random pieces 0.2 to 2.0 cm for evaluation purposes. These are sold in standard packages of 10, 50, and 250 grams. monolithic blocks up to 4" x 8" x 0.5" are standard.
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Properties
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Value
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Density
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0.1 (0.3 - 0.05) g/cm3
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Dielectric Constant
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1.14 (18 - 40 Ghz)
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Surface Area, BET
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800 m2/g
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Percent Solids
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0.13 - 15%
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Mean Pore Diameter
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~20 nm
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Primary Particle Diameter
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2 - 5 nm
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Index of Refraction
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1.0 - 1.05
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Thermal Tolerance
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to 500°C
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Poisson's Ratio
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0.2
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Young's Modulus
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106 - 107 Nm2
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Tensile Strength
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16 kPa
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Fracture Toughness
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~0.8 kPa*m1/2
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Compressive Modulus
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0.3 MPa
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Coefficient of Thermal
Expansion (CTE) |
2 ppm/C° @20 - 80°C
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Electrical Resistivity
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1015 ohm-cm
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Thermal Conductivity in Air
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0.016 W/m/°K
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Thermal Conductivity in
Vacuum |
0.004 W/m/°K
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Sound Velocity Through
the Medium |
100 m/sec
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Color
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translucent
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