Transparent Aerogel Could Insulate Martian Windows

Aug-15-18 A transparent aerogel made from a key beer ingredient could find use as a window insulator in a habitat on Mars.

Though aerogels are excellent thermal insulators, they typically are not transparent, which renders them useless as window insulation. However, a new insulating gel created by the team from Colorado University Boulder made from cellulose sourced from beer wort is transparent enough to be used in windows—including the windows of potential Martian habitats. The team created the transparent gel by adding specialized bacteria to wort (unfermented beer), which created a cellulose that can be induced to self-assemble into a transparent, heat-resistant, thin-film gel.

According to the team, the new aerogel could be used in film form as a retrofitted cover for windows, including those on extraterrestrial habitats with highly vacillating temperatures—such as Mars or the moon.

More Info about this Invention:

[NEWATLAS.COM]
[COLORADO.EDU]

---