Title: Aerogels: Engineering Limitless Possibilities through Nanotechnology
Abstract:
Aerogels are a diverse class of nanoporous, nanostructured materials that combine multiple extreme materials properties into a single material envelope. Once relegated to only a handful of compositions and a high-pressure synthetic pathway, today aerogels can be composed of many different substances ranging from oxides and synthetic polymers to zero-valent metals and quantum dots and are preparable through a variety of lab-accessible ambient-pressure processes. Aerogel materials are becoming increasingly important enabling technologies in an ever-growing range of industrial applications including energy infrastructure, thermal barriers for battery packs, millimeter-wave communications, bulletproof vests, and more. In this seminar, we will explore the wonderful world of aerogels with deep dives into a handful of topics including synthesis of aerogels in zero gravity, discovery of new catalysts with aerogels, and commercialization of next-generation durable aerogels based on nanoengineered organic polymers.
Bio:
Dr. Stephen A. Steiner III is the President, CEO, and founder of Aerogel Technologies, LLC, a leading manufacturer of aerogels. Steiner holds a PhD in Materials Chemistry from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, an SM in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT, and a BS in Chemistry Course from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is an accomplished researcher and entrepreneur in the field of nanomaterials, with interests including aerogels and related porous nanoarchitectures, synthesis of nanocarbons, reduced gravity materials processing, and design of advanced materials for aerospace applications. Steiner began his journey into aerogels as a 17-year-old basement tinkerer in Wisconsin, conducting research that led to his first of over a dozen patents. He is the coeditor of The Springer Handbook of Aerogels and has authored/coauthored numerous scholarly articles in JACS, Angewandte Chemie, and other high-impact journals. In 2008, Steiner cofounded the open-source nanotechnology initiative Aerogel.org and has been featured in several television and social media video productions including Discovery Channel’s Penn and Teller Tell a Lie, Science Channel’s How It’s Made, PBS’s Nova, and YouTube’s Veritasium channel, receiving over 150 million views to date. In his spare time, Steiner moonlights as a flight director aboard parabolic flights for the Zero Gravity Corporation, where he has spent over 10 hours weightless in 20-sec bursts.
Keywords: Aerogels, materials chemistry, porous materials, polymers, nanoparticles, functional materials, applications