Aerogel is the stuff science fiction movies are made of, but unlike films, this is a real-life material you can actually buy. Aerogels are produced by extracting the liquid component of a gel through supercritical drying. This allows the liquid to be slowly dried off without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse from capillary action, as would happen with conventional evaporation. Continue reading for more fun and creative gifts for science geeks.
