Recent progress and applications of aerogels in China

Aerogels are nanoporous materials which were initially prepared by Kistler in 1931. During the past 80 years, the investigation of aerogels accelerated rapidly in the 1980s and 2000s due to potential applications in many important fields and industrialization demands. In recent years, aerogels are attracting more and more people because of the unprecedented global pressure of the problems of energy and environment. As the materials with the lowest thermal conductivity, aerogels are ideal materials for thermal insulations which can save energy and help to reduce carbon emissions. As materials with high porosity and specific surface area, aerogels are ideal materials to adsorb toxic molecules or ions in the air and water, which can be applied in environmental protection. Carbon aerogels, with a good electric conductivity, are also good electrode materials for supercapacitors. In this paper, recent progress in aerogel preparation and applications in China are reviewed. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

Aerogels are nanoporous materials with potential applications in energy saving, environmental protection, and supercapacitors. This paper reviews the recent progress in aerogel preparation and applications in China.