aerogel

American

[air-uh-jel] / ˈɛər əˌdʒɛl /

noun

Chemistry.

a gel formed by the dispersion of air in a solidified matrix; a solid foam, as Styrofoam.

aerogel British

/ ˈɛərəˌdʒɛl /

noun

a colloid that has a continuous solid phase containing dispersed gas

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of aerogel

First recorded in 1920–25; aero- + gel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Reaching this level requires advances throughout the entire experimental system, including a powerful surface muon beam, a newly developed silica aerogel target, and detectors capable of extremely precise measurements.

From Science Daily

Lab work revealed that, upon exposure to a flame, one of the gels he was working on bubbled up to form a porous aerogel structure within it that is highly protective against fire.

From BBC

Led by Po-Yen Chen, assistant professor in UMD's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the accelerated method to create aerogel materials used in wearable heating applications -- published June 1 in the journal Nature Communications- could automate design processes for new materials.

From Science Daily

The team says their tool can also be expanded to meet other applications in aerogel design -- such as green technologies used in oil spill cleanup, sustainable energy storage, and thermal energy products like insulating windows.

From Science Daily

Looking ahead, Chen's group will conduct studies to understand the microstructures responsible for aerogel flexibility and strength properties.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023