The UA-led engineering research team of Piljae Joo, Yimin Yao, Nicholas Teo, and Sadhan C. Jana improved the strength and durability of a material used in common applications like thermal insulation in space shuttles and hospital filters.
These materials — called aerogels — are created by combining a polymer with a solvent to form a gel, and then removing the liquid from the gel and replacing it with air. This makes them porous, very low in density, but a major drawback is that they are unable to support large loads.