Ultrastrong Aerogels That Don’t Break and Metal Aerogels: Prof. Nicholas Leventis (#7)
Prof. Nicholas Leventis, Curators’ Professor of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, rocked the aerogel world in 2002 with the announcement that he had achieved one of the holy grails of aerogel science–a method for making aerogels that aren’t brittle. In fact, aerogels produced through this technique are so sturdy they are flexible and exhibit the same strength-to-weight ratio as aerospace-grade carbon fiber composites.
Then again, in 2008, Leventis took the aerogel world by surprise by announcing the discovery of iron aerogel, the first metal aerogel ever synthesized through sol-gel chemistry.
In this fourth installment of our continuing series “The People Who Reinvented Aerogel”, Prof. Leventis tells us about the discovery of what are now called x-aerogels, how they’re made, and why they are so strong. Prof. Leventis also gives a preview of the new metal aerogel materials under development in his laboratory.
Prof. Leventis on where he gets his ideas from:
“Curiosity.”
Podcast #7 – Ultrastrong Aerogels That Don’t Break and Metal Aerogels: Nicholas Leventis
[Duration 16:04, 11.0 MB, Recorded October 17, 2008]