Ten-Year-Old Makes His Own Aerogels(blog.wired.com)
blog.wired.com
Ten-Year-Old Makes His Own Aerogels
http://blog.wired.com/geekdad/2008/03/ten-year-old-ma.html
9 comments
So, how can we commercialize this?
Find a production method that is cheap...
The properties of aerogel include:
- The lowest density material known to man
- The best thermal insulator known to man
- Structurally extremely strong (but brittle)
If you can produce this stuff cheaply you would have to be an extremely poor entrepreneur not to make bundles of money.
The properties of aerogel include:
- The lowest density material known to man
- The best thermal insulator known to man
- Structurally extremely strong (but brittle)
If you can produce this stuff cheaply you would have to be an extremely poor entrepreneur not to make bundles of money.
I brought a (semi-novelty) product to market that used aerogels. We were slightly profitable, but the fact that aerogels are irritants derailed our plans for millions. [Our product lost essentially all of its appeal because you either had to handle it with gloves or encase it in another material for safety reasons. Fortunately, we weren't sued before we realized the error of our ways.]
I agree, however, that if you can figure out a way to produce it very cheaply, you can easily make millions. Just the insulation properties alone...it's really an amazing material. And its uses are almost limitless. I have a friend that is working on an aerogel application in the medical field (diabetes-related.)
I agree, however, that if you can figure out a way to produce it very cheaply, you can easily make millions. Just the insulation properties alone...it's really an amazing material. And its uses are almost limitless. I have a friend that is working on an aerogel application in the medical field (diabetes-related.)
The yachting business might be interesting.
You need insulation on your yacht, have very little space so normal methods won't work, and you can encapsulate it in between the hull and a layer of fibreglass, which is what most yachts are made of nowadays. And often price is a secondary issue in this market.
You need insulation on your yacht, have very little space so normal methods won't work, and you can encapsulate it in between the hull and a layer of fibreglass, which is what most yachts are made of nowadays. And often price is a secondary issue in this market.
I like the way you think :-)
If it's something you want to pursue you're welcome to shoot me a mail, it's in my profile. I might be able to help out. I live on a boat, so I know a little about the business.
I actually drew up a yacht in 3D the way I would have built it, just as something to do on sundays. You can see it here if you have nothing better to do: http://www.maximise.dk/yacht/
I actually drew up a yacht in 3D the way I would have built it, just as something to do on sundays. You can see it here if you have nothing better to do: http://www.maximise.dk/yacht/
(The article in the Times linked to by Wired keeps calling it Frozen Smoke, which just isn't as catchy to me... in case you you were wondering why I was bringing this up.)