Scientist Alex Gash prepares the "frozen smoke."

So when I conceived this Aerogel segment, I had a cooking show in mind. I imagined the mad scientist, standing at his bench in requisite white lab coat and safety glasses, Bunsen burner bubbling away. And the big reveal at the end, pulling a perfectly-formed cylinder of Aerogel from the supercritical extractor. Well, it turns out that the process of making Aerogel isn't terribly visual. Essentially, there's a lot of clear liquid being added to clear liquid. Which becomes clear gel. Then it's put into a machine and it comes out Aerogel.

So, it's a good thing that our chemist, Alex Gash, was a rock star. He was such a good sport, saying the same thing over and over in just slightly different ways without a single complaint. And even though he works with Aerogel (Sol Gel chemistry) every day, it still seemed like he was pretty excited about it.

So, while it's not exactly a cooking show, we hope that our little segment piques your interest to find out more about how Aerogel is made as well as its really interesting applications. Maybe you can even print out the recipe and make it at home.

Watch the "QUEST Lab: Aerogel" TV Story online, as well as find additional links and resources.


Amy Miller is a Coordinating Producer for television on QUEST.

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