Any material has a weight that directly depends on its density and other properties. What are they called, and what is their mass?
Airgel
For a long time airgel was considered the lightest material in nature. In 1931, the chemist Stephen Kistler published the results of an experiment. During it, the scientist took a piece of the gel, gradually heated it, evaporating the liquid and replacing it with methanol. Upon reaching a temperature of 240 degrees Celsius, the latter also left the gel, but allowed to maintain its shape and volume.
The experiment resulted in a translucent solid material, but very light. He also had high strength and practically did not absorb heat.
Interesting fact: an airgel weighing 3 grams is able to withstand a brick weighing 2.5 kg without undergoing deformation.
The lightest airgel is considered quartz. Its weight is approximately 1 gram per liter of volume. Due to its properties, it is used for thermal insulation, as filters, as well as for creating some equipment of spacecraft.
Which material is the lightest?
Over the past ten years, the title of the lightest materials on the airgel was intercepted by airbrush and airbrush. At the moment, they have the smallest mass, which is in the range from 0.16 to 0.2 grams per liter of volume.
To obtain substances, carbon is sprayed onto a special stand. After building, the substrate is separated. Airbrush and airbrush are carbon tube lattices that are in conjunction with monatomic carbon sheets. Due to their low density, they weigh almost nothing.
Unlike airgel, carbon substances are flexible and can take any form. So far they have not found wide application, but scientists are gradually trying them to create electrochemical capacitors. For example, aerografite has a good electrical capacity, which is why it can be used when charging and discharging electrolytes.
The lightest substances are airgel and aerographite. Their mass is approximately 0.18 grams per liter of volume. They are carbon nanotubes grown on special stands.
