Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World

by Mark Miodownik

In a world where we have industrialized so many materials, including those we used to hold sacred, such as gold and diamond, I like to think there may again be a place for a material valued solely for its beauty and significance. Most people will never hold a piece of aerogel in their hand, but those who do never forget it. It is a unique experience. There is no weight to it that you can perceive, and its edges fade away so imperceptibly that it is impossible to see where the material stops and the air begins. Add to this its ghostly blue color and it really is like holding a piece of sky in your hand. Aerogels seem to have the ability to compel you to search your brain for some excuse to be involved with them. Like an enigmatic party guest, you just want to be near them, even if you can’t think of anything to say. These materials deserve a different future, not of oblivion or embedment in a particle accelerator, but to be valued for themselves.