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☁️How it is made

Aerogel · A nanoscale silica sponge — among the lowest solid λ values, fragile unless blanketed, and A1 when purely inorganic.

At a glance
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

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Quick answers

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

heat 84 · fire 86

Start with this section - How it is made

Making Aerogel is a chain: feedstock, conversion (Kistler 1931; NASA / Aspen 1990s–), forming, heat, finish, install.

Skip a step and the properties chapter is describing a different object.

Process steps

01 Feedstock

Ore, monomer, fibre, mineral or scrap that can legally become Aerogel.

02 Conversion

Kistler 1931; NASA / Aspen 1990s–

03 Forming

Cast, spin, weave, sinter, foam, laminate or coat — the step that sets anisotropy.

04 Heat / cure

Temper, vulcanise, calcine or dry: skip it and the datasheet is fiction.

05 Finish

Coatings, sizings, facers, galvanizing, anodising, painting.

06 Install

Fasteners, adhesives, DFT, compression, dryness — site quality is a material property.

Routes

Primary

Virgin route around United States.

Recycled / secondary

Recycling exists but quality or energy often disappoints.

Specialty

High-spec grades leave the commodity mill.

Site-applied

Coatings, sprays, casts — the factory is sometimes a jobsite.

Diagrams

Aerogel process path

Feedstock to installed product.

  1. Feed — in
  2. Convert — mill
  3. Form — shape
  4. Finish — coat
  5. Install — out
  6. Spec — code
  7. Scrap loop — rec

Aerogel heat & fire

Energy in, class out.

  1. Heat — in
  2. Aerogel — mat
  3. λ / char — out
  4. Ignition — fire
  5. Euroclass — class
  6. Assembly — sys

Hard limits

Envelope

Melting/softening silica sinters; organic aerogels burn; conductivity silica blankets ~0.015–0.025 W/m·K class.

Environment

Moisture, UV, chlorides, alkalis or oxygen — pick the one that actually kills Aerogel.

Code

Fire class silica A1; polymer aerogels not is a starting letter, not a wall rating.

Process energy and scrap quality belong in the carbon passport, not in a footnote.

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