World's Lightest Solid! (It defies physics)

Summary

This video explores aerogel, the lightest solid with 99.8% air content, showcasing its remarkable thermal insulation, hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties. The host demonstrates aerogel's ability to withstand extreme temperatures, float on water, and block noise. Innovations like Solar Core's flexible aerogel composite are highlighted, which overcome the material's brittleness. Experiments include protecting objects from fire, freezing with liquid nitrogen, and staying dry underwater using aerogel, revealing its potential for various applications.

Takeaways

• 😲 Aerogel is the lightest and lowest density solid in the world, with 99.8% air content, resembling 'frozen smoke'.
• 🌡 It can withstand extreme temperatures ranging from -275°C to 650°C, providing exceptional heat protection.
• 👆 Despite its light weight, aerogel is brittle and can shatter easily under slight pressure, turning into dust.
• 💧 The dust from aerogel becomes 100% hydrophobic when applied to surfaces, making them waterproof.
• 🔧 Aerogel's hydrophobic properties can be demonstrated through simple experiments, such as floating on water and not getting wet.
• 🔥 It has the lowest thermal conductivity of any solid, making it an excellent insulator, used by NASA for spacecraft insulation.
• 🧪 Aerogel was invented about 100 years ago as a result of a scientific bet to replace liquid in silica gel with gas without losing its structure.
• 🛠 The process of supercritical drying is used to create aerogel, which involves high heat and pressure to remove liquid without collapsing the structure.
• 📏 Aerogel's pores are nanometer-sized, much smaller than the width of a human hair, which contributes to its unique properties.
• 🔊 It can also block noise, as demonstrated by lining a box with aerogel foam and significantly reducing sound levels.
• ❄️ Aerogel's insulation properties are so effective that it can protect objects from extreme cold, such as that of liquid nitrogen.

Q & A

What is the aerogel described in the script?

Aerogel is a gel composed of 99.8% air, also known as AEL, which is the lightest and lowest density solid in the world. It looks like frozen smoke and is capable of withstanding extreme temperatures from -275°C to 650°C.

How light is the aerogel mentioned in the script?

The aerogel is so light that it weighs only 1.74 grams, making it feel as if one is holding a piece of the sky.

What is the unique property of aerogel when it comes into contact with water?

When aerogel dust is applied to a surface, it becomes 100% hydrophobic, making the surface completely waterproof.

What is the significance of the aerogel's hydrophobic property demonstrated in the script?

The aerogel's hydrophobic property is demonstrated by its ability to float on water and create a barrier that prevents water from wetting it, which is shown through the experiment with the match and the spoon.

How is aerogel used in the context of sound?

Aerogel can block noise due to its nano-porous structure. In the script, a box lined with aerogel foam is used to demonstrate this by significantly reducing the noise from a speaker.

What is the process called that was used to create aerogel?

The process used to create aerogel is called supercritical drying, which involves subjecting the material to high heat and pressure to remove all the liquid without collapsing the structure, leaving behind a three-dimensional porous framework of silica filled with air.

What are the challenges with using aerogel in practical applications?

One of the main challenges with aerogel is its brittleness. It can easily shatter into dust with a small amount of pressure, which limits its use in various applications.

How does the script address the issue of aerogel's brittleness?

The script introduces a solution developed by Oro Labs, which is a closed-cell foam combined with aerogel. This combination results in a flexible and durable aerogel composite that overcomes the brittleness issue.

What is the temperature range that aerogel can withstand according to the script?

Aerogel can withstand extreme temperatures from -275°C to 650°C, making it an excellent material for insulation and protection against heat.

How does aerogel appear when exposed to different types of light?

Aerogel appears blue when exposed to daylight due to Rayleigh scattering of shorter wavelengths like blue and purple. Under ultraviolet light, it appears opaque, and under infrared light, it appears transparent.

What experiment is conducted in the script to demonstrate the aerogel's insulation capabilities?

An experiment is conducted where a mini gummy burger is exposed to the flames of a Bunsen burner, and another mini gummy burger is protected by aerogel to demonstrate the insulation capabilities of aerogel.

What is the final experiment conducted in the script involving liquid nitrogen?

The final experiment involves the host getting sprayed with liquid nitrogen while wearing an aerogel-insulated jacket to demonstrate the material's insulation capabilities against extreme cold.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 The Wonders of Aerogel: Light as Air

The script introduces the aerogel, the lightest and lowest density solid known, composed of 99.8% air, resembling 'frozen smoke.' Despite its featherweight nature, it can endure extreme temperatures from -275°C to 650°C, offering unmatched heat protection. However, it is also brittle, easily shattering under slight pressure. When pulverized, it becomes 100% hydrophobic, creating a waterproof barrier on surfaces. The aerogel's sound is described as metallic, contrasting common expectations. The video is set at the Solar Core facility in Oregon, where the presenter plans to explore the aerogel's remarkable properties, including its status as the lowest thermal conductor and best insulation material, used by NASA for spacecraft. The material's history dates back 100 years to a scientific bet, with supercritical drying being the key process to create its unique structure filled with air.

05:00

🔥 Aerogel's Dual Nature and Flame Test

The script delves into aerogel's dual hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, showcasing an experiment where aerogel powder floats on water, demonstrating its hydrophobic nature. A gummy burger is used to illustrate the aerogel's insulating capabilities against a Bunsen burner's flame, with the protected burger remaining intact while the exposed one melts. The brittleness of aerogel is a significant drawback, but the script introduces a solution from Oro Labs—a closed cell foam combined with aerogel, providing flexibility and durability. A flamethrower test is conducted on this new material, showing its effectiveness in withstanding high temperatures. The script also explores the aerogel's noise-blocking capabilities, with a demonstration using a speaker inside a box lined with aerogel foam.

10:04

❄️ Liquid Nitrogen and Aerogel's Thermal Protection

The script presents a dramatic experiment involving liquid nitrogen, which is extremely cold at -196°C. It shows the immediate freezing effect of the nitrogen on various items, including a piece of parsley and a chicken, emphasizing the potential dangers of direct contact with skin. The presenter then dons an aerogel-insulated jacket to demonstrate its protective capabilities against the cold. The jacket, made from a proprietary product called Solar Core aerogel foam, combines the thermal performance of aerogel with the flexibility and durability of closed cell foam. The presenter safely withstands the direct spray of liquid nitrogen, showcasing the jacket's effectiveness.

15:09

💧 Aerogel's Hydrophobic Properties and Visual Appearance

The script concludes with the presenter applying aerogel particles to their body to stay dry underwater, demonstrating the material's hydrophobic properties. It explains the composition of 100% silica aerogel, a prevalent mineral on Earth, and its ability to create a thin gray layer on the skin due to trapped air bubbles. The presenter then moves to a pool to show the visual effect of the aerogel under different lighting conditions, including daylight, ultraviolet, and infrared light, which reveal the aerogel's blue appearance due to Rayleigh scattering and its transparency to infrared light. The video ends with a call to action to subscribe for more documentaries and a thank you to the Solar Core team.

Keywords

💡Aerogel

Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultra-lightweight material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas. It is known for being the lightest and lowest density solid in the world. In the video, aerogel is portrayed as a material with extraordinary properties, including thermal insulation, hydrophobicity, and soundproofing capabilities. The script describes an aerogel that is 99.8% air, giving it a unique appearance like 'frozen smoke' and making it extremely light to the point where it can be lifted by soap bubbles.

💡Supercritical Drying

Supercritical drying is a process used to create aerogel by removing the liquid from a gel at the supercritical point of a substance, which is a temperature and pressure at which distinct liquid and gas phases do not exist. The process is crucial for the creation of aerogel because it allows the liquid to be extracted without collapsing the structure of the gel, leaving behind a three-dimensional porous framework of silica filled with air. The script mentions this process as the solution to a scientific bet to replace all the liquid in silica gel with gas without destroying its form.

💡Hydrophobic

Hydrophobic refers to the property of a substance that repels water, a characteristic that is often seen in materials that have air pockets or a structure preventing water from penetrating. In the context of the video, aerogel dust is described as becoming 100% hydrophobic when applied to a surface, making it waterproof. The script illustrates this with experiments showing the aerogel powder floating on water and creating a barrier that keeps objects dry.

💡Hydrophilic

Hydrophilic is the opposite of hydrophobic and describes a substance that has an affinity for water. It tends to absorb or attract water. The video script contrasts the hydrophobic properties of aerogel with a hydrophilic aerogel that can absorb moisture from the air, which is used in museums to protect artifacts or store medicines without exposing them to humidity.

💡Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity is the ability of a material to conduct heat. Aerogel is described in the script as the lowest thermal conductive solid, making it an excellent insulator. This property is highlighted by its use in insulating spacecraft, such as Mars rovers, and in the demonstration where a 'mini gummy burger' is protected from a flame by an aerogel shield, showing its effectiveness in preventing heat transfer.

💡Soundproofing

Soundproofing refers to the process or property of a material that reduces the transmission of sound through it. The script mentions that aerogel blocks noise effectively, demonstrated by an experiment where a box lined with aerogel foam significantly reduces the noise from a speaker, showcasing its soundproofing capabilities.

💡Brittleness

Brittleness is the property of a material that makes it likely to break or shatter when subjected to force. The video script discusses the brittle nature of aerogel, which shatters into dust with a small amount of pressure. This characteristic has been a challenge for its practical applications, leading to the development of a more durable form of aerogel in the video.

💡Solar Core Facility

The Solar Core Facility is the location where the experiments in the video are conducted. It is mentioned in the script as the place where the host is testing the aerogel's incredible properties. The facility likely provides the necessary equipment and environment for testing materials under extreme conditions.

💡Amorphous Silica

Amorphous silica is a form of silicon dioxide that lacks a regular crystalline structure. In the script, it is mentioned as the substance that makes up the remaining 0.2% of aerogel, aside from the 99.8% air content. Amorphous silica contributes to the unique properties of aerogel, including its thermal insulation and structural integrity.

💡Rayleigh Scattering

Rayleigh scattering is the elastic scattering of light or other electromagnetic radiation by particles much smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. The script explains that the blue color of aerogel is due to Rayleigh scattering, where shorter wavelengths like blue and purple light are scattered more efficiently, giving the material its characteristic color.

💡Infrared Light

Infrared light is a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible light. The script describes how infrared light passes right through aerogel, making it appear transparent. This property is demonstrated in an experiment where the aerogel's appearance changes when exposed to different types of light, including infrared.

Highlights

Aerogel is the lightest and lowest density solid in the world, composed of 99.8% air.

Aerogel can withstand extreme temperatures from -275°C to 650°C.

Despite its lightness, aerogel is brittle and shatters easily under slight pressure.

Aerogel dust applied to surfaces becomes 100% hydrophobic, making it waterproof.

Aerogel can form new non-brittle foam-like composites for extreme applications.

Aerogel's sound when dropped is very metallic, unlike typical expectations.

Aerogel is the lowest thermal conductive solid, making it the best insulation in the universe.

NASA uses aerogel to insulate spacecraft like Mars rovers due to its insulation properties.

Aerogel was created about 100 years ago from a bet to replace liquid in silica gel with gas.

Supercritical drying is used to create aerogel by removing liquid without collapsing the structure.

Aerogel's pores are nanometers thick, preventing heat, sound, and light transmission.

Aerogel exhibits both hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics.

Aerogel powder creates a barrier on water, causing objects to float without sinking.

Aerogel can be used to make a person waterproof when applied to the skin.

Aerogel's insulation capability was tested with a flamethrower, showing its effectiveness.

Aerogel's brittleness has been a historical challenge, but it can now be made flexible and durable.

Aerogel blocks significant noise, as demonstrated with a lined box and speaker.

Aerogel's nano pores scatter shorter wavelengths of light, giving it a blue appearance.

Aerogel can be transparent under infrared light and opaque under ultraviolet light.

Aerogel's flexibility and durability have been improved for practical applications.

Aerogel can keep a person dry even when completely submerged in water.

Aerogel's hydrophobic properties were tested in heavy rain, keeping the person dry.

Different types of aerogel can be hydrophilic, absorbing moisture from the air.

Transcripts

this piece right in my hand is the

lightest and lowest density solid in the

world this is an AEL as its name suggest

it's a gel composed of

99.8% air looking like frozen smoke it's

only 1.74 G when I pick it up I feel

like I'm holding a piece of the sky it's

so light that even soap bubbles can lift

it despite its weight it can withstand

extreme temperatures from - 275° c to 6

50° C and provides a protection against

heat unlike anything else on Earth

however even with a small pressure

applied by my finger the aerogel

shatters into thousands of pieces and

turns to dust but what's surprising is

that if I take those aerogel dust and

apply it to any surface like my body it

becomes 100% hydrophobic it makes me

completely waterproof on top of that

this dust also forms new non-brittle

foamlike aerogel Composites which can be

utilized in extreme applications

requiring protection Arrow gels can be

in different shapes given that they are

99% air can you guess the kind of sound

would an arrow gel

[Music]

make it's like an empty can dropping

onto a steel

surface very

metallic quite different from what most

of you might

expect I'm at the solar core facility in

in Oregon and I'll be conducting

experiments to test the Aero gel's most

incredible properties so aerogel is this

really amazing material it's the lowest

thermal conductive solid in existence or

the best insulation in the universe this

is the same stuff Nasa uses to insulate

spacecraft uh like the Mars rovers it's

like nothing it's like nothing it's the

lightest solid in existence as well what

is it made of it's just 9 99% air in

this case that other 1% or so is

amorphous silica most of you may be

seeing this material for the first time

in this video however aerogel was

introduced into our lives about 100

years ago as a result of a bet between

two scientists the BET was to replace

all the liquid in silica gel with gas

without destroying its form after

continuous exploration kler finally

solved this problem by using a process

called super critical drying and super

critical drying you have to get the

material to its critical point which is

really high heat and really high

pressure and you need to pull all that

liquid out without collapsing the

structure uh of the Jell-O at the end of

the drying process what we have is only

a three-dimensional porous framework of

silica filled with air the pores are

only a couple nanometers in thickness to

put that into perspective the average

pore size is around

110,000 the width of a human air so you

can think that I'm holding trapped air

where the molecules are stopped one by

one in the pores and they're almost

unable to transmit heat sound and light

so you're seeing some water and arel you

see how it's

hydrophobic oh yeah ael's insulation

capabilities are not its only remarkable

property it also exhibits both

hydrophilic and hydrophobic

characteristics how is it possible to

show you how hydrophobic AEL is I'm

going to perform a simple yet impressive

experiment let's div it

so this happens because it is

hydrophobic right that's

correct doesn't get wet all right moment

of

truth now we're going to sprinkle some

aerogel powder on the water notice how

the aerogel doesn't sink it's literally

floating on the surface creating a

barrier I'll put it in the

water it's in the water now thanks to

the aerogel super hyd phobic properties

the match is still dry and

lit wow it's amazing even after stirring

the aerogel powder does not mix with

water molecules particles are not

getting wet at all trying to scoop up

the water is completely useless only the

aerogel powder comes out with the

spoon look the spoon is completely

submerged but it's completely dry I'm

going to put some SP p on

I wonder what would happen if I apply it

to my whole body would I be

waterproof wow that's pretty

cool that's awesome these ball-shaped

droplets are not actually touching my

hand there is a layer of aerogel powder

between my skin and the water looks

amazing

wow go with my entire hand wow

feels like magic yeah really is but what

we will see when I cover my whole body

with these particles will blow our minds

since it's on my hand these particles

completely dry my hand out here we go

thank you cuz it just takes all the oil

out of your skin we have these two

setups on one side we have this mini

gummy Burger which we will expose

directly to the Flames of this bunson

burner and on the other side this mini

gummy Burger is protected by and arrow

gel you see the intense hit here let's

start right I I can see the changes over

here this one started melting and the

bottom is already dissolving there's no

difference

here my God this one is half burned

already no action going on here

yeah as you see this setup was much more

effective in terms of protecting this

hamburger and this one is on smoke you

see the difference if this insulation is

really that good if you're using it to

insulate spacecraft why isn't it used to

insulate everything here on Earth right

from buildings to apparel turns out it

has one major problem if you poke it uh

and feel free to go ahead it'll shatter

into a th little pieces with a little

pressure look how easily it turns into

dust I love that that's beautiful the

challenge with aroel uh since the

beginning of time has been that this

stuff is super brittle uh and that's

what we do at oros Labs or solar core

how do you make it not brittle so that

you could use it in whatever application

so this is the solution you came up with

that's correct so this is a closed cell

foam combined with aerogel closed cell

Foams are made from silica substance

with a structure consisting of tiny

sealed air pockets before moving to the

flamethrower test and test it on my

entire body we'll make one small trial

with this foam if that falls I have to

take my hand immediately yeah I'm I'm

quick you

ready you can crank it up as much as you

want

so you're seeing the uh impact on it so

it's very cold here I can touch it as

much as I want but here it's it's also

cold it doesn't keep heat yeah yeah but

this one is hot it melted look look at

the U shape of it my shield is actually

made of exactly same blanket as this one

this is how thick it is is thinner than

my

finger this is the flamethrower yeah how

big is the flame that's coming out of

this Weapon 5 to 6 ft so the thickness

of The Shield is A4 of an inch the

framework looks a lot bigger but if you

see the shield itself it's very very

thin can we push it to its limits we

will test the aerogel Shield by heating

it to the maximum temperature that

propane gas can reach you ready I'm

ready w

w

oh I can feel some heat from the

side but nothing from the

center can you get closer to

me that's as close as I want him to get

I can still touch

it FL is coming around FL is coming

around that's probably good yeah the

average temperature of the Flames was

around 1, 1200° C before moving on to

the most dangerous experiment yet I have

to show how aerogel blocks noise too we

have a box here that we lined with a

solar core aerogel foam let's put the

speaker inside this box and see how

aerogel foam works okay let's start all

[Music]

right so the rating is about

75

[Music]

yeah now it is around

95 yeah it's about

right even without the music they

there's still a lot of noise in this

room you can see that it is about 50

without the music so we can say that it

blocks 50% of the noise for those

unfamiliar liquid nitrogen is extremely

cold at a temperature of about1 196° C

how safe do you think this is what

happens if I touch the liquid nitrogen

without gloves it wouldn't be great if

it came in contact with your skin would

freeze your skin then my hand will be

shattered it's exactly right we're going

to hear a really loud noise at first um

and so don't don't worry if there's loud

noise it's so cold that it can freeze

almost anything on contact before using

liquid nitrogen on myself with my

aerogel insulated jacket let's see what

this liquid nitrogen can do to something

that's not protected by AEL for

comparison so this is the light and

frost effect there's such a great

temperature difference between liquid

nitrogen and the floor that it literally

can't get

absorbed our next item on the list a

bunch of parsley but this time instead

of submerging it we'll directly spray

liquid nitrogen on

[Applause]

it

w so I'm going to dip this in now we're

going to see what liquid nitrogen can do

with a thicker and denser

item all right let's drop this one 2

3 wow before trying it out on me I'm

sending off a piece of chicken in liquid

nitrogen for a few minutes to see what

effect it might have on real meat and

Bone and we're going to

see what happens to this chicken wow

where is the

chicken where is

the even the bones are shattered this

could be so dangerous then that's pretty

dangerous what I have witnessed is both

mind-blowing and also worrying because

now I'll be the next experimental

subject now it's my turn to withstand

the intense cold of liquid nitrogen

behind me Mike is ready to spray the

liquid nitrogen directly at me okay you

guys ready 5 four

three two

1 this is amazing I don't feel it just

on my pants because some droplets came

to my pants but that's all right for my

upper body I don't feel anything amazing

this product uses solar cor foam which

is our proprietary product it's the

world's first flexible and durable

aerogel composite so it is a combination

of the silica aerogel that we spent so

much time playing with today and Clos

cell foam so you get the amazing thermal

performance of aerogel uh that's why it

works so well in the jacket but you get

the flexibility in the durability of

close cell foam because remember that's

why aoel struggled so much in the past

it's been super brittle yeah uh so we

found a way and patented a way to make

aerogel super flexible and super durable

yeah and it's usable applicable on our

daily life that's exactly right we are

near Trum Lake as you see this ice is

covering the entire Lake I'm going to

apply particles of AEL on my body get in

the water and stay dry so no health

problems right no okay feeling okay

today yeah you've obviously been in the

water before cold water y okay perfect

we have everything else set up just in

case

pressure3 I have a bucket of powdered

silica aerogel and I'm evenly covering

my whole body with that let's see if it

can keep me dry even

[Music]

underwater I'm completely submerging my

body

[Music]

now I am dry this is Miracle guys

particles are blocking the uh water

coming onto my skin still nothing

nothing look at my leg in the water for

quite some

time and it's dry there are droplets on

my leg let's get these out of my leg

I I don't even feel I don't even need

that gel that we use today is 100%

silica aerogel which is one of the most

prevalent minerals in the Earth's crust

we're getting out any remaining aerogel

particles just to make sure that there's

nothing disturbing the ecosystem the

water was kind of dark and muddy that's

why we couldn't see how my body looked

underwater I will get inside a pool now

and you'll see how it actually looks

underwater

aerogel particles cause a thin gray

layer because they trapped tiny air

bubbles on my body these air bubbles

reflect Skylight giving my skin a shiny

silvery

[Music]

appearance you can notice some of these

air bubbles coming off my legs and rise

to the water

surface air on my skin makes me feel

lighter in the water completely dry how

is that possible let's try it again

[Music]

it's raining heavily now but I don't get

W yeah I might be the only person caught

in the rain completely covered in

hydrophobic aerogel

particles if you look at it carefully

there are rain droplets on the surface

of the uh pool of water that means rain

water and the pool water never meet

there's a layer of Arrow gel between

pool and rain

water just going to apply this a gel on

it I feel like it's getting wet

no

way inside there is water but outside

it's completely dry what the heck it's

like uh I'm holding a bottle of

water the a gel powder that I applied

onto my body was hydrophobic but this

one is hydrophilic watch what happens

when I drop water on this air

gel it's complete completely

unusable the damage is impossible to be

undone the feeling of the texture is a

lot different think of this like a small

sponge it can absorb 25 times of its

weight as this type of aerogel can

absorb moisture from the air they are

used in museums to protect artifacts or

to safely store medicines without

exposing them to

humidity last but not least ael's Nano

pores are even way smaller than the

visible light the visible light ranges

from 380 nanom to 750 nanom while the

ael's pores are only between 20 to 40

nanom wide shorter wavelength particles

Blues purples UV light get scattered

when they hit aerogel and that's what

causes aerogel to look blue same reason

the sky looks blue it's called ra

scattering when we expose an aerogel to

ultraviolet light which has the shortest

wavelengths it scatters the light better

making the aerogel appear opaque now

when we switch to infrared light which

has the longest wavelengths of all it

passes right through the AOG gel making

it appear completely transparent let's

see what happens when we expose aerogel

directly to Daylight it's yellow when I

hold it up to the sky it looks yellow

because it allows longer wavelengths of

sunlight such as yellow and red to pass

through more easily especially in bright

sunlight this phenomenon is similar to

the way the sky appears blue during the

day and changes color at sunrise and

sunset I would like to thank the solar

core team for allowing us to to film

this documentary subscribe to my YouTube

channel for more documentaries like this

RI chanet was here