An aerogel is a chemical substance formed by the removal of moisture (replacing it with vapor) from a conventional gel, resulting in a strong ductile solid. Aerogels act as a thermal insulator and are very lightweight given that 99% of their volume consists of air.
Aerogels are primarily composed of air or nitrogen, depending on their mode of formation. Aerogels prevent thermal convection by preventing the free flow of air. This property makes them ideal for preventing corrosion on metal surfaces. Normally, moisture, chemicals and other electron transmitting media accelerate corrosion when in contact with a metallic surface. However, aerogels can be used to coat metallic structures to prevent this direct contact and temperature increases due to corrosion under insulation.
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