Aerogel:
A group of researchers from Pune have developed a novel hybrid aerogel capable of easily extracting gold from electronic waste.
- Aerogels are among the lightest solid materials.
- They are created by combining a polymer with a solvent to form a gel, and then removing the liquid from the gel and replacing it with air.
- They are extremely porous and very low in density and they offer advantages like adjustable surface chemistry
- They are also known as ‘solid air’ or ‘frozen smoke’ are excellent adsorbents (a solid substance used to remove contaminants) and are incredibly lightweight solids composed mostly of air.
- Aerogels are most preferred in environment and oil spill clean up, for insulation purposes
- Researchers have designed and synthesised aerogel: the sponge-like absorbents, light in weight and porous synthetic materials for this purpose.
- The aerogel’s unique structural composition was treated with iron nitrate salts and maintained at room temperature for about two to five minutes.
