Aerogel
- Date
- 1931 · confidence high
- Place
- Stockton, California, United States
- Credited to
- Samuel Stephens Kistler
- Field
- Matter & energy
What it is
After a bet with Charles Learned over who could replace the liquid in a jelly with gas without it shrinking, Kistler managed to dry silica gels while preserving their porous structure, creating the first aerogel.
What it led to
- Extreme thermal-insulation materials used in spacesuits and space probes
- A new class of low-density porous materials