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Gels
Special Issues
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 December 2025 | Viewed by 753

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 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

  • aerogel
  • synthesis
  • property
  • application

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

39 pages, 3629 KiB  
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
Viewed by 610
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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