Advances in Structural and Mechanical Properties and Characterization of Aerogels

Dear Colleagues,

Aerogels possess a unique combination of properties that can be attributed to their open porous 3D nanostructure and chemical composition. The properties of aerogels are controlled by their solid content, high porosity, pore size distribution, pore volume, and the corresponding inner surfaces of the open porous network structure. As a result, materials with low densities, extremely good thermal and acoustic insulation behavior, high sorption capacities, tunable electrical conductivities, and last but not least highly variable mechanical properties, are obtained.

In this Special Issue, we invite authors to contribute their current research results with respect to the structure and mechanical properties of aerogels. The mechanical properties of aerogels can be changed not only by process control during chemical synthesis and drying, but also by combining them with different materials. Submissions pertaining to the following topics on aerogels will be considered.

• Novel approaches to improve the structure and mechanical properties of aerogels or aerogel composites;
• Characterization of the structural, fractal, or mechanical properties;
• Modeling studies describing their structure–property relationships;
• Review articles on the abovementioned topics.

Prof. Dr. Barbara Milow
Dr. Ameya Rege
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 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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2600 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.