Aerogels

This graphene-based aerogel is the lightest sound insulation material ever manufactured, say researchers at the University of Bath, who have demonstrated its ability to damp down noise by up to 16 dB despite weighing just 2.1 kg per cubic meter.

Previously, scientists at the National University of Singapore have produced aerogels made from scrapped car tires and pineapple leaves, and now they're showing off a new version that is produced from upcycled metal waste.

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have developed a new method for 3D printing graphene aerogels that work well as water filters. The team says this technique helps make graphene aerogels scalable and stable enough to be used over and over.

A research team from the National University of Singapore has developed a promising aerogel that turns airborne water molecules into drinkable liquid, without needing a power source or having any moving parts.

Materials stay cooler when water evaporates off of them, but once all the water is gone, the cooling effect stops. Bearing this in mind, MIT scientists have developed a camel fur-inspired material that could keep items cool without using electricity.

Technologies that extend the lifespan of perishable foods could help us avoid huge amounts of waste, and scientists in Singapore have unearthed a promising new possibility in the form of chemically treated pineapple leaves.

Scientists at EMPA have developed a new aerogel-based material that blocks a wide range of electromagnetic radiation frequencies, forming what they describe as by far the lightest electromagnetic shielding material in the world.

By converting liquid salt water – or tainted water – into steam, it's possible to obtain pure, clean drinking water. Doing so could soon be cheaper and easier than ever, thanks to a newly developed material.

According to the National University of Singapore (NUS), only 40 percent of old tires are recycled – the rest are either burned or thrown in landfills. Now, however, the university has developed a method of converting tire rubber into an aerogel.

Researchers from Harvard have shown that thin layers of silica aerogel could warm the surface of Mars and block UV radiation while still letting visible light through. That could be enough to keep water liquid and let plants photosynthesize within a given region.

​We may hear a lot about photovoltaic panels, but solar collectors are also quite useful – the devices collect heat from sunlight, which is used in applications such as the heating of homes. Now, MIT has announced a new material that could make them cheaper and more efficient than ever.

​For years now, scientists have marvelled at the insulating qualities of polar bear fur, suggesting that it could inspire manmade heat-retaining materials. Well, Chinese researchers have now developed just such a substance, which reportedly outperforms real fur.