An Opinion Paper on Aerogels for Biomedical and Environmental Applications

Abstract

Aerogels are a special class of nanostructured materials with very high porosity and tunable physicochemical properties. Although a few types of aerogels have already reached the market in construction materials, textiles and aerospace engineering, the full potential of aerogels is still to be assessed for other technology sectors. Based on current efforts to address the material supply chain by a circular economy approach and longevity as well as quality of life with biotechnological methods, environmental and life science applications are two emerging market opportunities where the use of aerogels needs to be further explored and evaluated in a multidisciplinary approach. In this opinion paper, the relevance of the topic is put into context and the corresponding current research efforts on aerogel technology are outlined. Furthermore, key challenges to be solved in order to create materials by design, reproducible process technology and society-centered solutions specifically for the two abovementioned technology sectors are analyzed. Overall, advances in aerogel technology can yield innovative and integrated solutions for environmental and life sciences which in turn can help improve both the welfare of population and to move towards cleaner and smarter supply chain solutions.

Silica Aerogels/Xerogels Modified with Nitrogen-Containing Groups for Heavy Metal Adsorption

“…Since their conception in 1931 by Kistler, aerogels have gained growing interest from the scientific community due to their unique outstanding properties [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. As a result, their production methods as well as their fields of application have been diversified [ 1 , 4 , 5 ].…”

A Review on Revolutionary Natural Biopolymer-Based Aerogels for Antibacterial Delivery

“…In the past few years, biopolymers have been extensively used in aerogel preparation for different biomedical applications due to their unique properties [ 7 ]. Aerogel was defined as a solid, ultra-lightweight and lucid open porous network, obtained from gel following the removal of the pore liquid without any significant modification in the network structure [ 12 ]. Traditional materials for aerogel preparation like silica, carbon, metals, and synthetic polymers present some drawbacks that limit their use in biomedical applications.…”

Solvent-Free Approaches for the Processing of Scaffolds in Regenerative Medicine

“…Other supercritical foaming modifications not requiring downstream processes are under research. Namely, the use of organic solvents [118,119], biofunctional plasticizers [114], or the incorporation of aerogels from different sources [120][121][122][123] in synthetic scaffolds processed by supercritical foaming promoted the formation of more interconnected porous structures with larger pores. The pore interconnectivity can be also modulated by modifications on the venting rate [124].…”