Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
Aerogels are pretty interesting. I don’t know a lot about them yet, but perhaps someday they could act as a very lightweight foam insert that allows air to squish around, but provide some amount of run-flat structure if the tire punctures.
Incredibly fragile. Aerogel turns to powder quickly if you compress it. I think their only use is for space shuttle reentry and similar applications where low weight and thermal performance are required.