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Gels
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Synthesis and Application of Aerogel (2nd Edition)
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Synthesis and Application of Aerogel (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 5164

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Guanglei Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Engineering Research Center for Colloidal Materials, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Interests: aerogel; metamaterial; advanced ceramic; alumina
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aerogels are highly porous networks of nanoparticles that have long been prized for their exceptionally high surface area, which is the smallest density solid in the world. Aerogels are usually developed by drying with supercritical fluids, most frequently CO2, freeze-drying, or evaporative drying, from wet gels that were originally created using sol–gel methods. Aerogel has outstanding material properties because of its complex network of nanoparticles and fibers, which are created more by the microstructure of the material than by its physical characteristics. Although aerogel is light and has a low density, it can bear a lot of pressure. Due to their material properties, aerogels can be useful in a range of applications, such as thermal protection, catalysis, sorption media, sensors, electrodes in solid oxide fuel cells, and drug delivery. We welcome submissions of experimental and theoretical studies that explore the potential applications of aerogel materials. This Special Issue will comprise original research articles as well as comprehensive reviews, communications, and perspectives, and will provide a platform to guide the future direction in the subject matter.

Prof. Dr. Guanglei Zhang
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • aerogel
  • synthesis
  • property
  • application

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3175 KB  
Article
Preparation and Evaluation of MXene/Graphene-Integrated Cellulose Aerogel Composite for Self-Heating Thermoregulation in Athletic Warm-Up Optimization
by Xinran Qian, Lanqing Ling, Dengyun Xu, Jialu Lu, Haohan Liu, Meng Yuan, Tianfeng Lu, Lejun Wang, Ai Du and Lili Qin
Gels 2026, 12(4), 320; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12040320 - 8 Apr 2026
Viewed by 190
Abstract
A warm-up is a critical procedure in sports science for enhancing muscular performance and optimizing subsequent athletic activities. However, the physiological and athletic performance effects of a warm-up are often transient, diminishing rapidly during the period of inactivity after the warm-up, which is [...] Read more.
A warm-up is a critical procedure in sports science for enhancing muscular performance and optimizing subsequent athletic activities. However, the physiological and athletic performance effects of a warm-up are often transient, diminishing rapidly during the period of inactivity after the warm-up, which is known as the warm-up transition phase. In this study, a multi-functional thermoregulation wearable composite film of graphene–MXene–bacterial cellulose/polyethylene glycol (G-M-BC/PEG) was developed by integrating MXene (a two-dimensional material with good photothermal conversion performance) and graphene into a bacterial cellulose aerogel framework, subsequently impregnated with polyethylene glycol (PEG-2000). The film showed stable structure, efficient solar photothermal conversion and storage (SPCS), and improved mechanical properties. Under 1 sun irradiation, the optimized G-M-BC/PEG wearable film showed excellent SPCS performance, sustaining a temperature plateau of 38–40 °C for 10 min after the xenon lamp was switched off under 1 sun irradiation, with a leakage rate of only 5.32% after five cycles. By constructing a biomimetic sports human body model, the composite aerogel was shown to significantly elevate muscle surface temperature and effectively mitigate heat loss during the transition phase. In the warm-up effectiveness and sports performance tests, the wearable film improved 200 m sprint performance by 0.8% ± 0.4% (p = 0.039). It also maintained subjective thermal sensation during the warm-up transition phase, with no significant decline at 5 or 10 min after the warm-up and a significant decrease only at 15 min (p = 0.02), while thermal comfort remained stable, suggesting improved neuromuscular readiness. This research provided a novel strategy for the fabrication of advanced aerogel-based wearable devices aimed at precision thermal management and athletic performance optimization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Application of Aerogel (2nd Edition))
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14 pages, 3304 KB  
Article
Surface-Engineered Amino-Graphene Oxide Aerogel Functionalized with Cyclodextrin for Desulfurization and Denitrogenation in Oil Refining
by Zunbin Duan, Huiming Zhang, Qiang Tong, Yanfang Li, He Bian and Guanglei Zhang
Gels 2026, 12(1), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12010033 - 30 Dec 2025
Viewed by 448
Abstract
The selective removal of trace heteroatomic contaminants from fuel remains a critical challenge for clean combustion and refinery upgrading, particularly due to the chemical stability and structural similarity of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing aromatics. Herein, a surface-engineered graphene oxide aerogel functionalized with cyclodextrin ( [...] Read more.
The selective removal of trace heteroatomic contaminants from fuel remains a critical challenge for clean combustion and refinery upgrading, particularly due to the chemical stability and structural similarity of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing aromatics. Herein, a surface-engineered graphene oxide aerogel functionalized with cyclodextrin (β-CD-CONH-GO) is developed via covalent grafting to introduce well-defined host–guest recognition sites within a porous framework. Spectroscopic and microscopic characterizations confirm successful functionalization, preserved aerogel morphology, and accessible hybrid interfaces. The removal process for monocyclic, bicyclic, and tricyclic impurities is governed by synergistic molecular inclusion within the cyclodextrin cavity, interfacial hydrogen bonding, and secondary confinement provided by the aerogel porosity. Thus, the β-CD-CONH-GO exhibits efficient adsorption toward representative bicyclic impurities, and the removal performance follows the order of indole > quinoline > benzothiophene. Kinetic analysis demonstrates pseudo-second-order adsorption behavior, indicating chemisorption dominated by cooperative host–guest recognition and hydrogen bonding. It possesses removal selectivity even in mixed systems containing structurally similar aliphatic and aromatic competitors and maintains > 95% efficiency after five regeneration cycles via ethanol extraction, confirming superb durability. This study demonstrates a feasible pathway to design adsorbents for deep fuel refining and highlights cyclodextrin-based graphene hybrid aerogels as promising candidates for separations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Application of Aerogel (2nd Edition))
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15 pages, 4141 KB  
Article
Fabrication and Properties of Chitosan/Calcium Polyphosphate Fibre Composite Biological Scaffold
by Xiaohu Qiang, Zhu Hu, Wang Liu and Dajian Huang
Gels 2025, 11(10), 767; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11100767 - 24 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 866
Abstract
Natural biomaterials are widely used in the construction of cartilage tissue engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility, easy degradation, and ability to degrade products to be absorbed by the human body. However, due to their poor mechanical properties, it is usually necessary to [...] Read more.
Natural biomaterials are widely used in the construction of cartilage tissue engineering due to their excellent biocompatibility, easy degradation, and ability to degrade products to be absorbed by the human body. However, due to their poor mechanical properties, it is usually necessary to composite them with other materials to prepare biological scaffolds that meet the expected requirements. This study used freeze-drying technology to introduce calcium polyphosphate fibres (CPPFs) into a chitosan (CS) matrix to prepare composite scaffolds with better performance. CPPF was used as a filler and inorganic skeleton in the CS/CPPF composite to improve the properties of the CS-based scaffold. With little change in porosity, the compressive strength of the CS/CPPF composite scaffold increased from 0.172 MPa of chitosan to 0.332 MPa with the increase in CPPF addition. The water absorption rate of the composite scaffold decreased from 1297.42% to 935.37%. In vitro degradation experiments revealed that CPPF accelerated the degradation of the scaffold and generated calcium phosphate and nano-hydroxyapatite compounds during the degradation process. According to our cytotoxicity testing, the CS/CPPF composite scaffolds exhibited good biocompatibility and could enhance cell proliferation. This method of incorporating CPPF into CS provides important reference values for the application of CPPF in other natural bone tissue engineering scaffold materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Application of Aerogel (2nd Edition))
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Review

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39 pages, 3629 KB  
Review
Radiative Heat Transfer Properties of Fiber–Aerogel Composites for Thermal Insulation
by Mohanapriya Venkataraman, Sebnem Sözcü and Jiří Militký
Gels 2025, 11(7), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11070538 - 11 Jul 2025
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3206
Abstract
Fiber–aerogel composites have gained significant attention as high-performance thermal insulation materials due to their unique microstructure, which suppresses conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer. At room temperature, silica aerogels in particular exhibit ultralow thermal conductivity (<0.02 W/m·K), which is two to three times [...] Read more.
Fiber–aerogel composites have gained significant attention as high-performance thermal insulation materials due to their unique microstructure, which suppresses conductive, convective, and radiative heat transfer. At room temperature, silica aerogels in particular exhibit ultralow thermal conductivity (<0.02 W/m·K), which is two to three times lower than that of still air (0.026 W/m·K). Their brittle skeleton and high infrared transparency, however, restrict how well they insulate, particularly at high temperatures (>300 °C). Incorporating microscale fibers into the aerogel matrix enhances mechanical strength and reduces radiative heat transfer by increasing scattering and absorption. For instance, it has been demonstrated that adding glass fibers reduces radiative heat transmission by around 40% because of increased infrared scattering. This review explores the fundamental mechanisms governing radiative heat transfer in fiber–aerogel composites, emphasizing absorption, scattering, and extinction coefficients. We discuss recent advancements in fiber-reinforced aerogels, focusing on material selection, structural modifications, and predictive heat transfer models. Recent studies indicate that incorporating fiber volume fractions as low as 10% can reduce the thermal conductivity of composites by up to 30%, without compromising their mechanical integrity. Key analytical and experimental methods for determining radiative properties, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and numerical modeling approaches, are examined. The emissivity and transmittance of fiber–aerogel composites have been successfully measured using FTIR spectroscopy; tests show that fiber reinforcement at high temperatures reduces emissivity by about 15%. We conclude by outlining the present issues and potential avenues for future research to optimize fiber–aerogel composites for high-temperature applications, including energy-efficient buildings (where long-term thermal stability is necessary), electronics thermal management systems, and aerospace (where temperatures may surpass 1000 °C), with a focus on improving the materials’ affordability and scalability for industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Synthesis and Application of Aerogel (2nd Edition))
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