Nano materials of aerogels

As a nanoporous material with consecutive 3D network, aerogel has unique properties of low density, large surface area, high pore volume and porosity, leading to its excellent performances in thermal insulation, gas adsorption and separation, water treatment, catalysis, etc. Therefore, aerogels have promising applications in aerospace, industry, new energy, energy-efficiency building, environmental protection and many other aspects. Among all kinds of aerogels, traditional silica and carbon aerogels have been intensively studied. Recently, silicon carbide and surface modified silica aerogels are attracting wide attentions. Silicon carbide aerogel materials for thermal insulation are thermally stable in air at a high temperature over 1200℃. Hydrophobic and amine modified silica aerogels have outstanding performances in water treatment and gas adsorption, respectively. Hence, the definition, structural characteristics and representative studies of aerogels are reviewed, especially the recent advances of novel carbide aerogels and surface modified silica aerogels.