Uploaded May 2015 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Aerogel has been around for over 80 years. It was developed by Dr. Samuel Kistler in the 1930’s at the College of Pacific in California. Only recently has it been improved and integrated into many processes today. It is an extremely porous (up to 99%) and lightweight solid derived from a gel of silica or other materials (carbon nanotubes, giant graphene oxide sheets, etc.). The process of transforming the gel into a solid is to replace the liquid component of the gel with a gas. The resulting solid has a very low density, close to that of air, and can exhibit different properties based on the process by which it is created. These various properties allow aerogel to be incredibly useful for various systems. Aerogel’s main use today is as a thermal insulator. However, with continued research and investment, it can serve an entirely different purpose: oil absorption. The normally hydrophilic aerogels can be manipulated through a process called functionalization to become hydrophobic and thus oil absorbent. The continued development of this property of some aerogels can improve the process by which oil spills are cleaned up. This material has the potential to replace many of the sorbents that are used today to clean up oil spills.
Group Members:
Casey Martin
Daniel Shapiro
Kean Finucane
Matthew Hill
Aerogel has been around for over 80 years. It was developed by Dr. Samuel Kistler in the 1930’s at the College of Pacific in California. Only recently has it been improved and integrated into many processes today. It is an extremely porous (up to 99%) and lightweight solid derived from a gel of silica or other materials (carbon nanotubes, giant graphene oxide sheets, etc.). The process of transforming the gel into a solid is to replace the liquid component of the gel with a gas. The resulting solid has a very low density, close to that of air, and can exhibit different properties based on the process by which it is created. These various properties allow aerogel to be incredibly useful for various systems. Aerogel’s main use today is as a thermal insulator. However, with continued research and investment, it can serve an entirely different purpose: oil absorption. The normally hydrophilic aerogels can be manipulated through a process called functionalization to become hydrophobic and thus oil absorbent. The continued development of this property of some aerogels can improve the process by which oil spills are cleaned up. This material has the potential to replace many of the sorbents that are used today to clean up oil spills.
Group Members:
Casey Martin
Daniel Shapiro
Kean Finucane
Matthew Hill
