Preparation and Application of Aerogel and its Composite Materials

Dear Colleagues,

Aerogel has a three-dimensional nano/micro-porous structure, usually composed of nanoparticles or polymer molecular chains. It is mainly prepared by the classic sol-gel method. Since firstly prepared by Kistler in 1931, aerogels have been employed in a wide range of application fields, such as thermal insulation, adsorption, catalysis, drug delivery systems, and aerospace. Due to their poor mechanical properties, high cost, and complicated preparation process, there are still huge challenges in realizing their large-scale industrial preparation and applications. Optimizing the preparation process, improving their diverse performances, and expanding the application domains of aerogels are current important issues. For this aim, more attention has been drawn to the preparation and application of aerogel composites. However, many aspects of aerogel composites are not clear or unsolved, such as the interfacial bonding mechanism between aerogels and introduced phases, impairing some excellent inherent properties of aerogels, heat transfer process, and thermal hazards brought by the introduced organic polymer or binder. We believe it is time to revisit these issues of aerogels and aerogel composites. We look forward to new research on aerogels and aerogel composites, including, but not limited to, their preparation and application of, and we also welcome submissions of relevant theoretical and experimental research reports.

Dr. Zhi Li
Dr. Xudong Cheng
Dr. Song He
Guest Editors

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