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Gels
Special Issues
Aerogels: Recent Progress in Novel Applications
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Aerogels: Recent Progress in Novel Applications

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 781

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sizhao Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Thermal Control Technology Laboratory of Aircraft in Space Environment, Polymer Aerogels Research Center, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: polymer aerogels; polyimide; thermal insulation; thermal protection technology in aerospace; biomass-based aerogels; integrated coupling of thermal insulation and load-bearing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: silica aerogels; adsorption; oxide aerogels; photocatalyst; metal aerogels; electrocatalyst

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is dedicated to the aerogels widely used in adsorption, separation, catalysis, bioscience, and thermal insulation, and so forth, based upon manipulating their microstructure regulation mechanism and property optimization strategy.

Aerogels mostly originated from gels are mesoporous solid materials with high porosity and low bulk density, and are generally classified as superinsulators owing to their rich nanoporous structure and as adsorbents and catalysts due to their high specific surface area. All these frontline strategies enrich the current state of the art of aerogels and bring new opportunities to various application fields. We welcome submissions in this exciting field and look forward to learning and exchanging professional knowledge and new insights that these works will provide.

Dr. Sizhao Zhang
Dr. Wei Wei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aerogels
  • gels
  • polymer
  • biomass
  • thermal insulation
  • aerospace

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3903 KiB  
Article
Low-Temperature Dried Alginate/Silica Hybrid Aerogel Beads with Tunable Surface Functionalities for Removal of Lead Ions from Water
by Jiuqi Wei, Shilong Yang, Zhicheng Zhu, Jialu Lu, Bencong Zhang, Mingmei Zhang and Wei Wei
Gels 2025, 11(6), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11060397 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 219
Abstract
Low-temperature dried alginate/silica hybrid aerogel beads with a large specific surface area (160.8 m2/g), low density (0.160 m2/g), and high degree of sphericity were successfully fabricated. Single networks of silica aerogels beads were synthesized via by calcining hybrid aerogel [...] Read more.
Low-temperature dried alginate/silica hybrid aerogel beads with a large specific surface area (160.8 m2/g), low density (0.160 m2/g), and high degree of sphericity were successfully fabricated. Single networks of silica aerogels beads were synthesized via by calcining hybrid aerogel beads in air. Moreover, alginate-derived carbon/silica aerogel beads were also obtained by the thermal treatment of the hybrid aerogel beads in nitrogen, which were indicative of the double networks of the as-synthesized crack-free hybrid aerogel beads for the first time. The adsorption performances of above aerogel beads were also investigated. Meanwhile, using a common silane coupling agent as a modifying agent, a series of hybrid aerogel beads with tunable functional surfaces were obtained. The results showed that the obtained samples adsorbed Pb2+ well, and the hybrid aerogel beads modified with KH-590 exhibited an experimental maximum adsorption capacity of Pb2+ of 193.73 mg·g−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerogels: Recent Progress in Novel Applications)
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Review

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24 pages, 6987 KiB  
Review
Advances in Carbon-Based Aerogels for CO2 Capture: Fundamental Design Strategies and Technological Progress
by Shakila Parveen Asrafali, Thirukumaran Periyasamy and Gazi A. K. M. Rafiqul Bari
Gels 2025, 11(5), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11050361 - 14 May 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
Carbon-based aerogels have garnered significant attention for CO2 capture owing to their low-cost precursors, tunable structures, and high porosity. Their performance in CO2 adsorption is intricately linked to their microstructural and textural features, including pore size distribution, surface area, and surface [...] Read more.
Carbon-based aerogels have garnered significant attention for CO2 capture owing to their low-cost precursors, tunable structures, and high porosity. Their performance in CO2 adsorption is intricately linked to their microstructural and textural features, including pore size distribution, surface area, and surface chemistry. Micropores (<2 nm) are particularly effective due to their size compatibility with CO2 molecules, while surface functional groups enhance adsorption through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Strategic design approaches have focused on tailoring these properties to optimize CO2 uptake under realistic conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the structural engineering of carbon aerogels, emphasizing the role of hierarchical porosity and heteroatom doping (nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, etc.) in enhancing adsorption capacity and selectivity. Experimental and theoretical studies have highlighted how the synergistic control of microstructure and surface chemistry leads to superior adsorption performance. Furthermore, this review identifies current challenges, such as limited structural stability and insufficient mechanistic understanding, which hinder further progress. Future research directions are proposed, including advanced pore architecture control, functional group engineering, and the integration of in situ characterization techniques. Overall, this review serves as a guide for the rational design of next-generation carbon-based aerogels tailored for efficient and scalable CO2 capture technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerogels: Recent Progress in Novel Applications)
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