Gel#Xerogels

A xerogel (from ' xero ', the Greek prefix meaning "dry", " skinny ", from Greek ξηρός ( Xeros ) ) is a porous solid with a net-like structure, which has emerged from the drying of a lyogel. An example is silica gel.

In contrast to the aerogels xerogels exhibit during drying considerable structural changes that are associated with shrinkage processes and a decrease in porosity. This is xerogels usually by 50%, while aerogels retain about 90% of its original volume.