Nanomaterials in Advanced, High-Performance Aerogel Composites: A Review

• Main Authors: Elizabeth Barrios, David Fox, Yuen Yee Li Sip, Ruginn Catarata, Jean E. Calderon, Nilab Azim, Sajia Afrin, Zeyang Zhang, Lei Zhai
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: aerogel; nanocomposites; aerogel composites; energy storage; sensors; biomedical engineering; tissue engineering; graphene; cellulose; cellulose nanofibers
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/11/4/726

Aerogels are one of the most interesting materials of the 21st century owing to their high porosity, low density, and large available surface area. Historically, aerogels have been used for highly efficient insulation and niche applications, such as interstellar particle capture. Recently, aerogels have made their way into the composite universe. By coupling nanomaterial with a variety of matrix materials, lightweight, high-performance composite aerogels have been developed for applications ranging from lithium-ion batteries to tissue engineering materials. In this paper, the current status of aerogel composites based on nanomaterials is reviewed and their application in environmental remediation, energy storage, controlled drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing are discussed.