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How Silica Gel Took Over the World

(www.scopeofwork.net)
225 points Hooke | 2 comments | 01 Apr 25 19:33 UTC | HN request time: 0.501s | source
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moonlighter ◴[01 Apr 25 22:20 UTC] No.43551917[source]▶
Former W.R. Grace employee: Molecular Sieve Desiccant Beads (also manufactured by W.R.Grace) are even more absorbent than regular silica gel. It's found in most double-pane windows inside the metal track between both panes; slowly absorbing any moisture over many years to keep them from fogging/going 'blind'.

You can use MS to dry flowers in record time... and use it to quickly heat up baby food in a pinch if needed... just put a smaller container of food in a bigger pod filled with MS and pour water of the MS... it's ultra-rapid absorption of water creates heat as a byproduct.

replies(2): >>43552744 #>>43557010 #
1. dredmorbius ◴[02 Apr 25 00:48 UTC] No.43552744[source]▶
I'd just learned of (and shared a link to) a related technology, "getters", which similarly hold tight vacuums in various applications for years if necessary:

<https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43498489>

Those are used in vacuum-sealed windows and glazings (the topic of the post I was commenting to).

There are also moisture scavengers put into cooling applications (refrigerators and A/C) to remove any incidental water from refrigerant, which I suspect operate more like your MSDBs.

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2. owenversteeg ◴[02 Apr 25 19:04 UTC] No.43560281[source]▶
Getters can hold tight vacuums for several decades, even! I have many vacuum fluorescent displays from the 70s still working perfectly. As long as the getter spot is shiny and not white, it is holding vacuum fine.