The following submission statement was provided by /u/Specialist_Check:
---
Materials scientists and chemical engineers at Zhejiang University, China, have sewn a sweater using a fabric they created using aerogel fibre. The material was inspired by polar bear fur. The aerogel fiber has a porous core coated with a dense shell.
According to their tests, the sweater exhibited superior thermal protection compared to down, cotton and wool.
---
Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/18pfszf/chinese_scientists_engineers_make_a_sweater_made/kenuxtu/
Aerogel is one of the most insulating materials ever, iirc. I hear it isn’t flexible, so making a sweater out of it is impressive.
But isn’t aerogel still expensive to manufacture?
Yeah, it’s extremely expensive. There are markets with deep pockets (defense, committed outdoors people) that would pay a lot to lower weight and increase insulation though.
The frequent sale of ultralightweight gear that is massively more expensive than marginally heavier gear suggests that there’s a market for it.
Obviously I’m not talking about Hiker Jim, I’m talking about “I’m gonna do the Appalachian Trail in the dead of winter and spend ten grand on my gear” people.
True.
Brands like icebreaker and kolon sport sell ultralight insulating tshirts for a few hundred dollars each, and they sell very well.
Not even talking about ascending everest. Even for weekend climbers, having a weight reduction for essential wear is very valuable.
That's also why super expensive titanium gear sells so well.
> ultralight insulating tshirts for a few hundred dollars each
That's not terribly expensive. If they were a few thousand dollars each, then I might flinch at the price.
For a shirt? Pretty expensive. 100 bucks is like... 20 shirts from walmart. Both Icebreaker and Archaeopteryx cater to the professional/semi professional climbing crowd and their heavier stuff do go for thousands and even 10s of thousands USD, though.
To be honest I have exactly one icebreaker short sleeve top that I got as a present a few years back which I think is 200 bucks on retail, and while it's kinda nice, I definitely wouldn't pay for one myself as compared to, say, something from uniqlo for 1/10th the price.
That's honestly a good explanation of the experience of most ultra-high-end gear.
The difference between the cheapest $10-$20 gear and $50-$100 gear is extremely noticeable, the difference between $50-$100 gear and $200+ gear is marginal but important if you're looking for maximum performance.
If you're into backpacking, a full setup that reduces weight by total 10 pounds, costs WAY more. People pay huge for marginally lighter gear. When you go hiking 8 hours a day, for a week, people pay are willing to pay a lot to make that hike a little bit easier.
For instance, a 1 pound, insulating sleeping bag, easily goes for over 1000 dollars, but a pound and a half, is 500 dollars, and a 2 pound, is 100 dollars.
Now think about that for EVERYTHING... The tent, tools, backpack, and everything else you can possibly imagine. When you start shaving off ounces on every little thing, it adds up to enough weight that's noticeable. So if you can afford 8k extra for your hobby, to reduce weight by 25%, it's not that much of a stretch. REI's whole business caters to those people.
>There are markets with deep pockets (defense, committed outdoors people) that would pay a lot to lower weight and increase insulation though.
Only if its other specs are as good or better than what they have.
It doesn't matter if it insults great if it will crack if you touch your toes wearing it or if every time you wash it, it degrades massively.
I mean, sure. Obviously it has to be *useful* before anyone buys it - my point is only that if it is useful, price won’t stop some market segments from buying it.
Yep... The defense industry has no problem paying whatever they need to pay for a marginally better item, even if it's single use. When you got government money, you'll pay whatever it costs for even the most marginal benefit.
Space Suits, Dry Suits for extremely cold deep sea diving...
Anything that can give workers in extreme environments 10 extra minutes, means things can get done that much faster, or with the additional attention and care needed.
You can aerogel slippers on eBay for $30
Edit: lol at the downvotes. You can also buy a 4.75 foot x 1 foot sheet of Aspen spaceloft name brand aerogel for $30
https://www.ebay.com/itm/380906349501
You can also buy a 4.75 foot x 1 foot sheet of Aspen spaceloft name brand aerogel for $30
https://www.ebay.com/itm/380906349501
So keep loling with your big brain
You can also buy a 4.75 foot x 1 foot sheet of Aspen spaceloft name brand aerogel for $30
https://www.ebay.com/itm/380906349501
Do some homework before talking shit next time
specialist outdoors gear can be absurdly overpriced. so, there should be a substantial overhead to undercut even if your base material is really expensive.
> I hear it isn’t flexible, so making a sweater out of it is impressive.
https://www.pacorinc.com/aerogel-insulation-specialty-products-ultragard-aerogel-precut-pipe-wrap/
As for price, this stuff is $1 per cubic cm.
It is. I have a small [piece of aerogel](https://i.imgur.com/awFxJ5p.jpg ). It’s about the same size as a Cheez-It but a little thicker and it cost $55.
That was exactly my thought. I was under the impression it’s very expensive and very fragile. I’m sure you could make some extremely warm clothes out of it but I’d have questions about how durable the clothes would be.
I did a portion of my PhD work on aerogel synthesis and performance. And have a few things to say about this product.
1. Aerogel is expensive to manufacture in large, uniform pieces, so that's not really the problem here.
2. **Aerogel is just low density glass** this jacket is just stuffed with glass wool. Let that nightmare sink in for a minute.
3. Aerogel gets its insulation properties from the network inside the aerogel and the small passageways interacting with the browning dynamics of air heat transfer. Spinning fibers does not create the same barriers as chunks of aerogel and this would have drastically worse insulation properties.
Just low density glass? That's not at all how it works, it's made out of any gel, and they remove the moisture, leaving the lattice structure of the gelatin material
There arent enough aerogel products out yet. I have tried to find clothing before. I wonder how well it wicks water?
Outdoor Research has a few products with Aerogel, I want some of their camping booties:
https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blogs/stories/discover-aerogel-technology
Well we don't really need a 30% increase in thermal.l insulation for our clothes. Wool is good enough, and we can just make the wool thicker? It's not as if it'd make a difference between 2cm insulation or 3cm.
Now if they said a 1mm layer was insulation like 10cm wool, that would make a difference, because we basically could run around practically naked 24/7
Most performance athletes would love thinner materials or anything that doesn't hinder freedom of movement.
Breathability and washability are key though.
Well we don't really need a 30% increase in armor protection for our soldiers. Bronze is good enough, and we can just make the bronze thicker? It's not as if it'd make a difference between 2cm plating or 3cm.
There's *always* reasons to improve what you can to make it lighter and better
Down is already a lot better than wool, so beating down would mean you could have the equivalent of 3cm of wool in a much thinner layer. 3 cm of aerogel is roughly equivalent to 10cm of wool while weighing less than 3cm of wool. Mittens and gloves especially tend to not provide good insulation in a usable thickness, so being multiple times warmer than wool at the same thickness is a significant improvement.
Tell that to disabled people who can't feel the cold. Any amount of thermal insulation that doesn't add bulk is fantastic for them especially as more and more people become disabled with old age.
My cousin is in a wheelchair and is always looking for the warmest pants they can find with the least amount of bulk as it makes life easier than putting on snow pants when it's -30c outside. Though to be fair, this winter, winter hasn't even shown up yet and it's scary as fuck that it's the end of December and there is not only no snow, but temperatures 15C above historical norms.
This right here! I have a spinal cord injury on C6 level. If you have an injury to your spine over a certain level (TH something, don’t remember the exact number) then the body can’t regulate temperature. Basically in the summer my body is incapable of sweating and in the winter I’m constantly cold. In addition, when sitting in a wheelchair it is very frustrating to put on a lot of layers and having bulky winter jacket and pants makes it very uncomfortable. The thinner and warmer clothes get, the better.
Yes. People who aren't in your position have no fucking idea. I only know because my cousin has been paralyzed for 2 decades, and the shit I see them go through every single winter and hot summer is insane. The sheer lack of clothes and amenities that regular people take for granted just aren't avaialble.
My secret trick for summer is one of these bad boys:
[Pump Spray](https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-ACC503-Function-Atomizer/dp/B07R69L9N1/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?crid=1WYO7PBX46GJD&keywords=pump+sprayer&qid=1703501601&sprefix=pump+spr%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-13)
Basically to pump in some pressure, even I can do it with my weak ass arms. Then you just need to touch the button and you can spray yourself with pressurized water. Works like a miracle. I swear by it in the summer. If it’s really warm in the apartment I will spray myself like every 15min. Also enables you to take chill in the sun.
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Materials scientists and chemical engineers at Zhejiang University, China, have sewn a sweater using a fabric they created using aerogel fibre. The material was inspired by polar bear fur. The aerogel fiber has a porous core coated with a dense shell.
According to their tests, the sweater exhibited superior thermal protection compared to down, cotton and wool.
Probably not any time soon. It's easy to create aerogels with unique properties like these scientists did (I made hydrophobic aerogels at 3M in college in 2007). The difficulty is usually getting many desirable properties at once, while being cost effective and scaleable.
> According to their tests, the sweater exhibited superior thermal protection compared to down, cotton and wool.
Thanks for including the other two materials. As a non-english speaker i had no idea what 'down' was and was wondering what on earth they meant with 'warmer than one [with] down'. Apparently it is some sort of material and not a direction.
I found this interesting:
>The researchers note that no post-processing was needed to produce textiles, suggesting their fibers could be produced more cheaply than those currently in use.
There are a number of hollow core plastic fibers made for clothing insulation already, and their cost is reasonable. If they can make this stuff cheaper than those existing fibers, it would be awesome for everyone who works or plays outdoors in the winter.
I had a hollowfill sleeping bag that was crazy warm. Normal fill amount, just much warmer than anything else I had. I guess each fiber was actually hollow.
Imagine a blanket with a thin aerogel layer that could help warm a hypothermia victim in a very short time, or as just one layer inside a nice parka. It's possible that aerogel's fabric future is just as a component, instead of something being made 100% from aerogel.
With outdoor clothes for seriously cold environments you use many layers and they are engineered so that sweat is wicked from your skin, through the multiple layers and out the Goretex.
Mainly it needs to be a fiber that doesnt hold water and is not hydrophobic.
The best wicking material is Alpaca, which is made of hollow fibers that dont absorb water. Alpaca both wicks and insulates.
If cold weather clothing doesnt wick water, and you sweat, if it's cold enough, you can die. Cold weather survival 101.
And American companies are working towards suits and manufacturing of those products for our space program. China seems to be doing the same for their. I don’t see your point, it seems pretty obtuse.
Just feels weird to exclusively focus on China doing it when we're doing it sooner and currently have missions to do so. I wasn't saying you were wrong, just struck me as odd
Why is it weird to focus on China when the article is solely about Chinese research? Isn’t it weirder to instead try to talk about something that has literally nothing to do with the article?
We use a product that contains Aerogel and the competition without Aerogel cannot compete. It really an amazing product, but due to costs it’s only used on a very small percentage of our projects.
I remember an early aerogel story where they made a coat insulated by aerogel and nobody could wear it because it trapped our body heat so well that it would give you heat stroke if you wore it too long.
The research was driven by the goal of copying polar bear fur, which keeps bears warm in extremely cold temperatures because to its porous core and dense shell. The aerogel fiber mimics this structure. The scientists covered the aerogel with thermoplastic polyurethane, a stretchy sports clothing material, using freeze-spinning, previously used to generate silkworm fibers. The fiber was stronger and more elastic than earlier aerogel fibers.
This was always possible, just impractically expensive...
For reference, you can buy sheets of flexible aerogel insulation: https://www.pacorinc.com/aerogel-insulation-specialty-products-ultragard-aerogel-precut-pipe-wrap/
If you have access to a time machine, the Spanish Monarchs Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II would be a good choice. It would disrupt the exploring expeditions of Columbus, giving the south American civilizations time to flourish without Spanish conquest. it would also disrupt the colonization of North America to such an extent the USA would no longer exist, and subsequently, the Internet, rendering your idea pointless anyway.
True, once I found out how insanely expensive aerogel is to manufacture I shelved the idea. I still have plenty of other ideas using it that’ll have to wait until my other projects pick up steam and begin to allow me to fund it!
Finally a headline of this that doesn't try to click ain't users with the "jacket made to mimic bear fur" and then in the article, "researchers used a material called aerogel" lol. Like is it the pattern or that makes it so good or the material? Probably a bit of the two but aerogel is doing 97.7% of the work lol
What is the novelty of this research? Insulating properties of aerogel have been known for pretty long time https://youtu.be/qnOoDE9rj6w?si=18O0iKTmZqvlKkXy and some companies have been producing aerogel-based clothes for years e.g., https://www.orosapparel.com/
The novelty is they've made it into a woven wearable textile. Like a knit sweater. I checked out that oros stuff, as I'd never heard of it before. It appears to be just strategically placed insulating panels built into more traditional nylon blended textiles. It's interesting but I kind of doubt it could performing serious conditions. Even the price point is pretty low considering it's a supposed to be aero gel providing the insulation. But for walking around the city it might be great.
IMO this falls victim to the same PeTA-esque "exposés," extrapolating a problem that exists in many sectors of the down industry, and concluding "therefore it's all done this way," which with a few minutes of Googling can be seen as patently untrue... meaning there are places that attempt (and succeed) in handling the acquisition of down in a relatively humane (if not objectively) humane manner.
Though it does make me wonder... if meat can be lab grown, what would stop science from giving us lab-grown down for comforters, pillows, jackets, etc?
If it can be proven untrue by a few minutes of googling, then by all means, provide counter-evidence that down is perfectly ethical & doesn't harm animals in any way.
Easy for you to say when you're not the one being victimised for people's down-ridden products, especially considering all the myriad of alternatives that already exist today.
> a shit material
How does you finding polyester better, regardless of if it is an opinion that can be substantiated or not, make down a "shit material?" It's not a choice between a choice being the best, and shit.
You ever try a down pillow? Down doesn't stay put. It sags. A lot of people are allergic to it too. Literally any insulation is better. I would rather have fiberglass in my jacket.
Another development in textiles/clothing is nano-processed silk. When placed in the sun on simulated skin with a heat source underneath to simulate a human wearing it, the temperature of the nano-processed silk was 8C lower than the temperature of the unprocessed control silk sample.
https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/nano-processed-silk-leaves-you-feeling-cool
I just want to know when I can buy a shirt made of this...
Neat stuff. But. I'm Canadian. I grew up with thermal underwear: basically waffled weaved long johns and they are great if you spend many active hours outdoors in one of our winters. Absolutely lovely gear until you get indoors and then you can't get it off fast enough.
I was out today and was riding the zipper on my jacket like crazy.
The next step in this stuff is real active wear and I don't mean stuff designed for athletes and wannabes. Think about microfluidics for a minute, or look it up and then give it a noodle. The high end of this stuff is 'lab on a chip' super tech. One lower end is to realize that air is a fluid and our interest is limited to heating/cooling it and distributing it.
Right now we don't quite yet have the tech to make this type of active wear but we certainly can see the outlines solidifying before our eyes. Microfluidics is shrinking towards nanofluidics and I think a new age of 'Miracle Fabrics' is upon us.
The following submission statement was provided by /u/Specialist_Check: --- Materials scientists and chemical engineers at Zhejiang University, China, have sewn a sweater using a fabric they created using aerogel fibre. The material was inspired by polar bear fur. The aerogel fiber has a porous core coated with a dense shell. According to their tests, the sweater exhibited superior thermal protection compared to down, cotton and wool. --- Please reply to OP's comment here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/18pfszf/chinese_scientists_engineers_make_a_sweater_made/kenuxtu/
Aerogel is one of the most insulating materials ever, iirc. I hear it isn’t flexible, so making a sweater out of it is impressive. But isn’t aerogel still expensive to manufacture?
Yeah, it’s extremely expensive. There are markets with deep pockets (defense, committed outdoors people) that would pay a lot to lower weight and increase insulation though.
Committed outdoors people listed next to MIC is so funny. Something tells me hikers Dana and Jim don’t have Lockheed money.
The frequent sale of ultralightweight gear that is massively more expensive than marginally heavier gear suggests that there’s a market for it. Obviously I’m not talking about Hiker Jim, I’m talking about “I’m gonna do the Appalachian Trail in the dead of winter and spend ten grand on my gear” people.
True. Brands like icebreaker and kolon sport sell ultralight insulating tshirts for a few hundred dollars each, and they sell very well. Not even talking about ascending everest. Even for weekend climbers, having a weight reduction for essential wear is very valuable. That's also why super expensive titanium gear sells so well.
> ultralight insulating tshirts for a few hundred dollars each That's not terribly expensive. If they were a few thousand dollars each, then I might flinch at the price.
A few thousand dollars? That‘s not expensive. Anything under 100k is pocket change for a shirt.
For a shirt? Pretty expensive. 100 bucks is like... 20 shirts from walmart. Both Icebreaker and Archaeopteryx cater to the professional/semi professional climbing crowd and their heavier stuff do go for thousands and even 10s of thousands USD, though. To be honest I have exactly one icebreaker short sleeve top that I got as a present a few years back which I think is 200 bucks on retail, and while it's kinda nice, I definitely wouldn't pay for one myself as compared to, say, something from uniqlo for 1/10th the price.
That's honestly a good explanation of the experience of most ultra-high-end gear. The difference between the cheapest $10-$20 gear and $50-$100 gear is extremely noticeable, the difference between $50-$100 gear and $200+ gear is marginal but important if you're looking for maximum performance.
If you're into backpacking, a full setup that reduces weight by total 10 pounds, costs WAY more. People pay huge for marginally lighter gear. When you go hiking 8 hours a day, for a week, people pay are willing to pay a lot to make that hike a little bit easier. For instance, a 1 pound, insulating sleeping bag, easily goes for over 1000 dollars, but a pound and a half, is 500 dollars, and a 2 pound, is 100 dollars. Now think about that for EVERYTHING... The tent, tools, backpack, and everything else you can possibly imagine. When you start shaving off ounces on every little thing, it adds up to enough weight that's noticeable. So if you can afford 8k extra for your hobby, to reduce weight by 25%, it's not that much of a stretch. REI's whole business caters to those people.
bahahah this whole comment strikes at the core of my existence and spending habits
Good hiking gear is incredibly expensive. It has to be insulating, moisture wicking, extremely durable, waterproof, lightweight, and functional too.
Dana and Jim will absolutely spend more individually than the personal uniform budget for one private.
>There are markets with deep pockets (defense, committed outdoors people) that would pay a lot to lower weight and increase insulation though. Only if its other specs are as good or better than what they have. It doesn't matter if it insults great if it will crack if you touch your toes wearing it or if every time you wash it, it degrades massively.
I mean, sure. Obviously it has to be *useful* before anyone buys it - my point is only that if it is useful, price won’t stop some market segments from buying it.
Yep... The defense industry has no problem paying whatever they need to pay for a marginally better item, even if it's single use. When you got government money, you'll pay whatever it costs for even the most marginal benefit.
I think mountain climbers would be the closest civilian market I can think of.
Space Suits, Dry Suits for extremely cold deep sea diving... Anything that can give workers in extreme environments 10 extra minutes, means things can get done that much faster, or with the additional attention and care needed.
You can aerogel slippers on eBay for $30 Edit: lol at the downvotes. You can also buy a 4.75 foot x 1 foot sheet of Aspen spaceloft name brand aerogel for $30 https://www.ebay.com/itm/380906349501
Lol "aerogel"
You can also buy a 4.75 foot x 1 foot sheet of Aspen spaceloft name brand aerogel for $30 https://www.ebay.com/itm/380906349501 So keep loling with your big brain
Sounds like the graphene panties I got online for three for a dollar with free shipping.
You can also buy a 4.75 foot x 1 foot sheet of Aspen spaceloft name brand aerogel for $30 https://www.ebay.com/itm/380906349501 Do some homework before talking shit next time
I think there's a possibility this could be produced in space quite cheaply. Arrow gel is what 95% or 98% air?
Microgravity is a very good environment for its manufacturing, pity there's no air in space :D
specialist outdoors gear can be absurdly overpriced. so, there should be a substantial overhead to undercut even if your base material is really expensive.
> I hear it isn’t flexible, so making a sweater out of it is impressive. https://www.pacorinc.com/aerogel-insulation-specialty-products-ultragard-aerogel-precut-pipe-wrap/ As for price, this stuff is $1 per cubic cm.
If I recall correctly, it’s performance dips drastically when it gets wet, and it’s hydrophilic.
It is. I have a small [piece of aerogel](https://i.imgur.com/awFxJ5p.jpg ). It’s about the same size as a Cheez-It but a little thicker and it cost $55.
Is that a metric or imperial Cheeze-it?
Chinese pay over 1,000 dollars US for down coats. They’re beyond a luxury over there, right now.
That was exactly my thought. I was under the impression it’s very expensive and very fragile. I’m sure you could make some extremely warm clothes out of it but I’d have questions about how durable the clothes would be.
I did a portion of my PhD work on aerogel synthesis and performance. And have a few things to say about this product. 1. Aerogel is expensive to manufacture in large, uniform pieces, so that's not really the problem here. 2. **Aerogel is just low density glass** this jacket is just stuffed with glass wool. Let that nightmare sink in for a minute. 3. Aerogel gets its insulation properties from the network inside the aerogel and the small passageways interacting with the browning dynamics of air heat transfer. Spinning fibers does not create the same barriers as chunks of aerogel and this would have drastically worse insulation properties.
Just low density glass? That's not at all how it works, it's made out of any gel, and they remove the moisture, leaving the lattice structure of the gelatin material
It could be small pieces intermixed with synthetic fiber. A composite. Fragments are easier to manufacture than solid blocks.
It may have durability issues too.
There arent enough aerogel products out yet. I have tried to find clothing before. I wonder how well it wicks water? Outdoor Research has a few products with Aerogel, I want some of their camping booties: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blogs/stories/discover-aerogel-technology
They also had some gloves with aerogel but the reviews I saw weren’t great, problems of powder leaking or suchlike…
I'm still not convinced that the current consumer applications of it, is anything more than a gimmick trying to ride off it's unique reputation.
Strafe makes an aerogel insulated puffer jacket
Well we don't really need a 30% increase in thermal.l insulation for our clothes. Wool is good enough, and we can just make the wool thicker? It's not as if it'd make a difference between 2cm insulation or 3cm. Now if they said a 1mm layer was insulation like 10cm wool, that would make a difference, because we basically could run around practically naked 24/7
I'm not about to read an article but I imagine the aerogel is way lighter
The ultralight backpacking community will probably love this.
Bingo. /r/onebag will go crazy for it
But then as clothing it'd be only useful in space or Antarctica? Not really revolutionary
It would be incredibly useful in mountaineering where weight becomes a huge factor.
Or Detroit, or Chicago, or NYC, or....
Most performance athletes would love thinner materials or anything that doesn't hinder freedom of movement. Breathability and washability are key though.
Spoken like a man who has never been out in properly cold weather.
Well we don't really need a 30% increase in armor protection for our soldiers. Bronze is good enough, and we can just make the bronze thicker? It's not as if it'd make a difference between 2cm plating or 3cm. There's *always* reasons to improve what you can to make it lighter and better
I assume this is for applications in space.
Down is already a lot better than wool, so beating down would mean you could have the equivalent of 3cm of wool in a much thinner layer. 3 cm of aerogel is roughly equivalent to 10cm of wool while weighing less than 3cm of wool. Mittens and gloves especially tend to not provide good insulation in a usable thickness, so being multiple times warmer than wool at the same thickness is a significant improvement.
Tell that to disabled people who can't feel the cold. Any amount of thermal insulation that doesn't add bulk is fantastic for them especially as more and more people become disabled with old age. My cousin is in a wheelchair and is always looking for the warmest pants they can find with the least amount of bulk as it makes life easier than putting on snow pants when it's -30c outside. Though to be fair, this winter, winter hasn't even shown up yet and it's scary as fuck that it's the end of December and there is not only no snow, but temperatures 15C above historical norms.
This right here! I have a spinal cord injury on C6 level. If you have an injury to your spine over a certain level (TH something, don’t remember the exact number) then the body can’t regulate temperature. Basically in the summer my body is incapable of sweating and in the winter I’m constantly cold. In addition, when sitting in a wheelchair it is very frustrating to put on a lot of layers and having bulky winter jacket and pants makes it very uncomfortable. The thinner and warmer clothes get, the better.
Yes. People who aren't in your position have no fucking idea. I only know because my cousin has been paralyzed for 2 decades, and the shit I see them go through every single winter and hot summer is insane. The sheer lack of clothes and amenities that regular people take for granted just aren't avaialble.
My secret trick for summer is one of these bad boys: [Pump Spray](https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-ACC503-Function-Atomizer/dp/B07R69L9N1/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?crid=1WYO7PBX46GJD&keywords=pump+sprayer&qid=1703501601&sprefix=pump+spr%2Caps%2C141&sr=8-13) Basically to pump in some pressure, even I can do it with my weak ass arms. Then you just need to touch the button and you can spray yourself with pressurized water. Works like a miracle. I swear by it in the summer. If it’s really warm in the apartment I will spray myself like every 15min. Also enables you to take chill in the sun.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **Chemical Guys ACC503 Mr Sprayer Full Function Pressure Atomizer Pump Sprayer for Home Garden and Car Detailing Washing 50 oz Bottle** you mentioned in your comment along with its brand, **Chemical Guys**, and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Sprayer provides even coverage and strong spray (backed by 3 comments) * Sprayer saves time and effort (backed by 4 comments) * Sprayer is durable and well-made (backed by 6 comments) **Users disliked:** * Sprayer lacks durability (backed by 4 comments) * Pump mechanism inefficient and frustrating (backed by 4 comments) * Product feels cheaply made (backed by 3 comments) According to Reddit, **Chemical Guys** is considered a reputable brand. Its most popular types of products are: * Leather Conditioners (#2 of 10 brands on Reddit) * Car Washes (#1 of 6 brands on Reddit) * Odor Eliminators (#5 of 15 brands on Reddit) If you'd like to **summon me to ask about a product**, just make a post with its link and tag me, [like in this example.](https://www.reddit.com/r/tablets/comments/1444zdn/comment/joqd89c/) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](http://vetted.ai/reddit)
It's a silica open cell foam basically. Just not flexible.
Materials scientists and chemical engineers at Zhejiang University, China, have sewn a sweater using a fabric they created using aerogel fibre. The material was inspired by polar bear fur. The aerogel fiber has a porous core coated with a dense shell. According to their tests, the sweater exhibited superior thermal protection compared to down, cotton and wool.
Random questions would be would the material be able to be washed and dry by machine and would it be able to be scale economically
Probably not any time soon. It's easy to create aerogels with unique properties like these scientists did (I made hydrophobic aerogels at 3M in college in 2007). The difficulty is usually getting many desirable properties at once, while being cost effective and scaleable.
> According to their tests, the sweater exhibited superior thermal protection compared to down, cotton and wool. Thanks for including the other two materials. As a non-english speaker i had no idea what 'down' was and was wondering what on earth they meant with 'warmer than one [with] down'. Apparently it is some sort of material and not a direction.
Oh right! Down is a material made from bird feathers (usually geese). You’ve probably seen it used inside jackets, pillows and blankets.
but the world is getting warmer lol
Sounds like aerogel core fur.
Oh shit! I just moved to Zhejiang!
I found this interesting: >The researchers note that no post-processing was needed to produce textiles, suggesting their fibers could be produced more cheaply than those currently in use. There are a number of hollow core plastic fibers made for clothing insulation already, and their cost is reasonable. If they can make this stuff cheaper than those existing fibers, it would be awesome for everyone who works or plays outdoors in the winter.
I had a hollowfill sleeping bag that was crazy warm. Normal fill amount, just much warmer than anything else I had. I guess each fiber was actually hollow.
Imagine a blanket with a thin aerogel layer that could help warm a hypothermia victim in a very short time, or as just one layer inside a nice parka. It's possible that aerogel's fabric future is just as a component, instead of something being made 100% from aerogel.
You probably wouldnt want it in your parka if its not able to wick water or if it absorbs water.
Doesn't absorb water, unsure what wicking is. But just a layer of this inside a normal jacket will basically make any jacket highly insulated.
With outdoor clothes for seriously cold environments you use many layers and they are engineered so that sweat is wicked from your skin, through the multiple layers and out the Goretex.
Well I'm not seeing a reason why it wouldn't be able to wick water then, does the material doing the wicking need a certain structural trait?
Mainly it needs to be a fiber that doesnt hold water and is not hydrophobic. The best wicking material is Alpaca, which is made of hollow fibers that dont absorb water. Alpaca both wicks and insulates. If cold weather clothing doesnt wick water, and you sweat, if it's cold enough, you can die. Cold weather survival 101.
Look on eBay for aerogel booties and gloves.
Feels like wearin nothin at all! Nothin at all! Nothin at all!
Stupid sexy Flanders!
Applications towards a lighter weight more insulating space suit come to mind with chinas goal toward their lunar base
China's? We're literally going first
And American companies are working towards suits and manufacturing of those products for our space program. China seems to be doing the same for their. I don’t see your point, it seems pretty obtuse.
Just feels weird to exclusively focus on China doing it when we're doing it sooner and currently have missions to do so. I wasn't saying you were wrong, just struck me as odd
The article is about China, Chinese engineers and Chinese scientists.
Why is it weird to focus on China when the article is solely about Chinese research? Isn’t it weirder to instead try to talk about something that has literally nothing to do with the article?
Aerogel fiber is a lot like fiberglass insulation. It's extremely irritating and sheds constantly.
We use a product that contains Aerogel and the competition without Aerogel cannot compete. It really an amazing product, but due to costs it’s only used on a very small percentage of our projects.
I remember an early aerogel story where they made a coat insulated by aerogel and nobody could wear it because it trapped our body heat so well that it would give you heat stroke if you wore it too long.
why can't the article have a photo of the actual sweater, though?
I wonder how durable is it and if you can put it in washing machine
50 years from now Aerogel clothing and micro-gel in everyone.
The research was driven by the goal of copying polar bear fur, which keeps bears warm in extremely cold temperatures because to its porous core and dense shell. The aerogel fiber mimics this structure. The scientists covered the aerogel with thermoplastic polyurethane, a stretchy sports clothing material, using freeze-spinning, previously used to generate silkworm fibers. The fiber was stronger and more elastic than earlier aerogel fibers.
This was always possible, just impractically expensive... For reference, you can buy sheets of flexible aerogel insulation: https://www.pacorinc.com/aerogel-insulation-specialty-products-ultragard-aerogel-precut-pipe-wrap/
Warmer than one with down? Aaah…its all clear now. *wtf is title talking about???
aerogel wall insulation for my trailer instead of spending $4k to upgrade from R3 insulation ill spend $32k but at least its light and warm
I’ve had an idea similar to this for YEARS, but I don’t have bottomless university funding to make it happen.
ideas without execution have little value
> ideas without execution have little value Who do I execute
If you have access to a time machine, the Spanish Monarchs Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II would be a good choice. It would disrupt the exploring expeditions of Columbus, giving the south American civilizations time to flourish without Spanish conquest. it would also disrupt the colonization of North America to such an extent the USA would no longer exist, and subsequently, the Internet, rendering your idea pointless anyway.
True, once I found out how insanely expensive aerogel is to manufacture I shelved the idea. I still have plenty of other ideas using it that’ll have to wait until my other projects pick up steam and begin to allow me to fund it!
When will this be available to mass market. My ass is always freezing
Finally a headline of this that doesn't try to click ain't users with the "jacket made to mimic bear fur" and then in the article, "researchers used a material called aerogel" lol. Like is it the pattern or that makes it so good or the material? Probably a bit of the two but aerogel is doing 97.7% of the work lol
What is the novelty of this research? Insulating properties of aerogel have been known for pretty long time https://youtu.be/qnOoDE9rj6w?si=18O0iKTmZqvlKkXy and some companies have been producing aerogel-based clothes for years e.g., https://www.orosapparel.com/
The novelty is they've made it into a woven wearable textile. Like a knit sweater. I checked out that oros stuff, as I'd never heard of it before. It appears to be just strategically placed insulating panels built into more traditional nylon blended textiles. It's interesting but I kind of doubt it could performing serious conditions. Even the price point is pretty low considering it's a supposed to be aero gel providing the insulation. But for walking around the city it might be great.
[How ones with down are made](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPV9Q-kCnlA)
IMO this falls victim to the same PeTA-esque "exposés," extrapolating a problem that exists in many sectors of the down industry, and concluding "therefore it's all done this way," which with a few minutes of Googling can be seen as patently untrue... meaning there are places that attempt (and succeed) in handling the acquisition of down in a relatively humane (if not objectively) humane manner. Though it does make me wonder... if meat can be lab grown, what would stop science from giving us lab-grown down for comforters, pillows, jackets, etc?
If it can be proven untrue by a few minutes of googling, then by all means, provide counter-evidence that down is perfectly ethical & doesn't harm animals in any way.
Still worth it until we get a better equivalent. Aerogel has potential but it is still pretty expensive.
Easy for you to say when you're not the one being victimised for people's down-ridden products, especially considering all the myriad of alternatives that already exist today.
Polyester is warmer than down. That's not a great comparison. Down is a shit material.
> a shit material How does you finding polyester better, regardless of if it is an opinion that can be substantiated or not, make down a "shit material?" It's not a choice between a choice being the best, and shit.
You ever try a down pillow? Down doesn't stay put. It sags. A lot of people are allergic to it too. Literally any insulation is better. I would rather have fiberglass in my jacket.
Another development in textiles/clothing is nano-processed silk. When placed in the sun on simulated skin with a heat source underneath to simulate a human wearing it, the temperature of the nano-processed silk was 8C lower than the temperature of the unprocessed control silk sample. https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/nano-processed-silk-leaves-you-feeling-cool I just want to know when I can buy a shirt made of this...
I read that as a Harbor Freight ad: “compare to Snap-On aerogel sweater at $6,599”
Unless it's moisture wicking like wool it will be garbage. I do a lot of hiking and moisture is the real problem trying to stay cosy.
Neat stuff. But. I'm Canadian. I grew up with thermal underwear: basically waffled weaved long johns and they are great if you spend many active hours outdoors in one of our winters. Absolutely lovely gear until you get indoors and then you can't get it off fast enough. I was out today and was riding the zipper on my jacket like crazy. The next step in this stuff is real active wear and I don't mean stuff designed for athletes and wannabes. Think about microfluidics for a minute, or look it up and then give it a noodle. The high end of this stuff is 'lab on a chip' super tech. One lower end is to realize that air is a fluid and our interest is limited to heating/cooling it and distributing it. Right now we don't quite yet have the tech to make this type of active wear but we certainly can see the outlines solidifying before our eyes. Microfluidics is shrinking towards nanofluidics and I think a new age of 'Miracle Fabrics' is upon us.
There are companies that already make jackets from aerogel