Polymer/Carbon-Based Hybrid Aerogels: Preparation, Properties and Applications

Abstract

Aerogels are synthetic porous materials derived from sol-gel materials in which the liquid component has been replaced with gas to leave intact solid nanostructures without pore collapse. Recently, aerogels based on natural or synthetic polymers, called polymer or organic aerogels, have been widely explored due to their porous structures and unique properties, such as high specific surface area, low density, low thermal conductivity and dielectric constant. This paper gives a comprehensive review about the most recent progresses in preparation, structures and properties of polymer and their derived carbon-based aerogels, as well as their potential applications in various fields including energy storage, adsorption, thermal insulation and flame retardancy. To facilitate further research and development, the technical challenges are discussed, and several future research directions are also suggested in this review.

Sign change in the net force in sphere-plate and sphere-sphere systems immersed in nonpolar critical fluid due to the interplay between the critical Casimir and dispersion van der Waals forces

“…[1]). The densities of the aerogel substrates [114] are taken in such a way as to render the desired value of s c , namely −0.01. Although the mean-field theory gives poor quantitative estimation of the behavior of the studied forces, it is tempting to evaluate them, nevertheless.…”

Returning to Nature for the Design of Sorptive Phases in Solid-Phase Microextraction

“…Figure 1 shows the macroscopic appearance of raw cotton ( Figure 1a) and CFs (Figure 1b), which maintain the fibrous structure ( Figure 1c) of the original substrate. Denoted as carbon fibers aerogels (CFAs) in some cases, these materials have been employed in various fields including energy storage, adsorption, thermal insulation, and flame retardancy [52]. In the microextraction context, CFAs are usually modified following the carbonization process in order to enhance the selectivity of the sorbent material.…”

Micro- and nanoporous materials capable of absorbing solvents and oils reversibly: the state of the art

“…The term ''aerogel'' is a gel material, in which its liquid component has been replaced with gas to leave an intact solid micro-or nanostructure without pore collapse; aerogels contain *99% air by volume (Zuo et al 2015). Different types of aerogels are known, for instance silicabased aerogel (Rao et al 2007;Wang et al 2010Wang et al , 2012Olalekan et al 2014), cellulose-based aerogels (Korhonen et al 2011), clay-based aerogels (Rotaru et al 2014), carbon-based aerogels (Kabiri et al 2014;Yang et al 2015a;Zeng et al 2009;Zuo et al 2015), etc.…”

“…Different types of aerogels are known, for instance silicabased aerogel (Rao et al 2007;Wang et al 2010Wang et al , 2012Olalekan et al 2014), cellulose-based aerogels (Korhonen et al 2011), clay-based aerogels (Rotaru et al 2014), carbon-based aerogels (Kabiri et al 2014;Yang et al 2015a;Zeng et al 2009;Zuo et al 2015), etc. The methods of synthesis for each type of aerogel vary depending on the final application; however, supercritical drying or freeze-drying is fundamental in order to obtain final aerogels.…”