Aerogel is one of 32 materials in this atlas, grouped under advanced: history, structure, measured properties, process routes, uses, safety and market — not a product catalogue.
Scores compare Aerogel with the rest of the atlas on strength, heat, fire behaviour, insulation, workability and circularity. They are editorial, not certificates.
Seven chapters follow. Fire and insulation claims name test families (Euroclass, ASTM E84, ISO 5660, KS F) rather than inventing a single safety number.
Deep introduction
Deep dive: Aerogel
Aerogel (SiO2 network + >90% air) is a family of grades whose density ~0.003–0.15 g/cm³, heat band silica sinters; organic aerogels burn, and fire letter silica A1; polymer aerogels not.
What “the material” actually is
Aerogel is sold as grades, not as a single substance. Chemistry SiO2 network + >90% air, density ~0.003–0.15 g/cm³, heat band silica sinters; organic aerogels burn.
This atlas treats Aerogel as a system: mill route, coatings, tests and the cavity it sits in.
Heat, fire and insulation
Conductivity note: silica blankets ~0.015–0.025 W/m·K class. Insulation score 98/100 is relative to 32 entries — metals lose, VIPs and aerogels win.
Fire letter in editorial use: silica A1; polymer aerogels not. Do not equate A1 with “safe in a blaze” or E with “illegal”. Assemblies decide.
How it is made and used
Origin: Kistler 1931; NASA / Aspen 1990s–, United States. The process chapter follows feedstock → conversion → forming → finish → install.
Uses span buildings to defence / safety. Pairings matter: vacuum-insulation.
Market and circularity
Producers below are landmarks, not an endorsement ranking. Prices are bands, not live quotes.
Circularity mark 50/100. Ask which scrap, which certificate, which year.
Related atlas
Around Aerogel
Related atlas entries, a short glossary, and three threads that keep Aerogel honest.
Decision walkthrough on Aerogel: fire 86, insulation 98, and one fact already on file — not a code stamp.
Read the fire-performance mark — Fire on this hub is 86/100 — teaching comparison among atlas materials.
Read the insulation mark — Insulation is 98/100 — heat-flow story, not the same question as flame.
Sit one published fact beside them — Quick fact on file: λ: ~0.015–0.025 W/m·K.
Sustainability is not a fire skip — A high sustainability mark does not replace fire protection in a real assembly.
Not a building-code rating — Named tests, thickness and build-up still decide compliance — this page is literacy only.
On Aerogel, fire 86 and insulation 98 answer different jobs; λ: ~0.015–0.025 W/m·K grounds one real detail.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Thermal mark or safety fact first?
Second lab decision on Aerogel: heat-resistance 84 beside published thermal fact Conductivity — literacy, not a code stamp.
Read the heat-resistance mark — Heat resistance on this hub is 84/100 — a thermal story, different from the fire/insulation pair.
Sit one thermal fact beside it — Properties chapter lists Conductivity among published thermal rows.
Heat resistance is not a fire skip — A high thermal mark does not replace named fire tests in a real assembly.
Still not a building-code rating — Thickness, build-up and named tests decide compliance — this page teaches axes only.
On Aerogel, heat 84 and Conductivity are a second thermal/safety reading after fire vs insulation.
Editorial atlas marks. Not a code certificate or product approval.
Heat line to keep
A decision from printed marks. Not a building permit.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aerogel non-combustible?
Declared reaction class in this atlas: silica A1; polymer aerogels not. Assemblies still need resistance tests.
Does Aerogel insulate?
Thermal mark 98/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: silica blankets ~0.015–0.025 W/m·K class.
What is the density band?
~0.003–0.15 g/cm³
How is it made?
Origin story: Kistler 1931; NASA / Aspen 1990s– (United States).
Can it be recycled?
Circularity mark 50/100 — editorial, route-specific.
Typical melting or failure heat?
silica sinters; organic aerogels burn
What should it be paired with?
vacuum-insulation: The other ultra-low λ panel.
Where is it specified?
Buildings, transport, energy and consumer goods — see the uses chapter.
Is the fire-performance score a building-code rating?
No. It is an editorial 0–100 teaching mark among materials in this atlas. A real wall or garment needs a named product test, thickness and assembly. This page is not a lab stamp.
When should I read insulation instead of fire?
Use the insulation pick when the question is heat flow — lining, loft, or a cold-bridge — and the fire pick when the question is how the same material behaves in flame. Both numbers already sit on this hub; they answer different jobs.
Does a high sustainability score mean I can skip fire protection?
No. Sustainability here is a relative atlas mark (growth, reuse, embodied story). Bamboo and timber can still char like wood. Fire protection stays a separate specification.
Why is bamboo missing in some languages?
A language URL is published only when the seven chapters are real prose in that language. Bamboo exists in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish. French, German, Portuguese and Russian stay withheld — earlier machine drafts leaked English, so those URLs are not opened.
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Samuel Kistler
United States · 1931
Samuel Kistler is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Stardust aerogel
United States · 1999–2006
Stardust aerogel is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Aspen Pyrogel
United States · 2000s–
Aspen Pyrogel is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Mars rover insulation lore
United States · 2000s
Mars rover insulation lore is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Translucent granule IGU
Europe · 2010s
Translucent granule IGU is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Pipe insulation
Oil & gas · 2000s–
Pipe insulation is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Silica gel cousin
Global · historic
Silica gel cousin is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
Frozen smoke photo
Labs · 1990s–
Frozen smoke photo is a reference point in the public image of Aerogel.
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