Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Electrical (7/5/08)
Introduction & Basics | Strength and composition | Optics | Moisture | Temperature | Electrical | Applications | Where to buy

1. Its winter and walking in my apartment builds up static electricity. Glass is a good insulator, aerogel is glass, so I tried an experiment using a metal shelf fitted to the screw in a light switch which shocks me all the time, using a metal screwdriver as the trigger. Oddly I started with a needle which didn't carry any of the current. Anyway, the result was a bit of a surprise:

   Gotta love static electricity. I did try finishing the contact to see if the aerogel was an insulator and heard a fizzling noise, as though it contacted a bit. So I figured we needed a better test...

2. We can use a volt meter on the resistance setting to check it. To establish the meter is working properly I first tried the probes to each other, which should equal 0 ohms of resistance, and then a short copper wire, which also should be 0:
   

   The scale to measure by is the green one on the top. Now let's try the aerogel:
   

   As you can see, the resistance of the aerogel met infinity. Realistically speaking there probably is an upper limit I just don't have the means of measuring it. It's important to understand though that while it is an electric insulator, it's a pain to work with due to that static electricity and I'd be worried about arcs with higher voltages. Be careful!

   Credits

   Thanks go to my fiancée Shuana for jumping in head first with aerogel... for two years! I love you cutie!

Introduction & Basics | Strength and composition | Optics | Moisture | Temperature | Electrical | Applications | Where to buy

Entertainment
- Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Introduction & Basics (7/5/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Strength and composition (7/5/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Optics (7/5/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Moisture (7/5/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Temperature (7/5/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Electrical (7/5/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Applications (8/25/08)
   * Kitchen experiments with Aerogel: Where to buy (8/25/08)
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