Aerogel, a material created on a bet between two scientists in the late 1920s, may be the most unique substance on Earth. It's the lightest solid in existence -- Guinness World Records even said so -- but it can support 500 to 4,000 times its own weight (depending upon whom you ask) [source: NASA JPL, Guiness; Steiner, Zero-Gravity]. A cubic inch of aerogel could be spread out to cover an entire football field. It's breathable and fireproof, and it absorbs both oil and water. Aerogel is also amazingly strong, considering its weight. Aerogels can be great electrical conductors, yet when made from different materials, they are also one of the best insulators ever known [source: Steiner, Zero-Gravity]. So why don't aerogels have the A-list name recognition they deserve? Unfortunately, producing such a unique product takes an extraordinary amount of time and money, in part because only a very small amount of aerogel is made in each batch. Even though producing more aerogel at a time would bring its price down, the process and materials alone come with a high price tag of about $1.00 per cubic centimeter. At about $23,000 per pound, aerogel is currently more expensive than gold [source: NASA JPL, FAQs]!
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