Recent Advances in Aerogels and Their Applications
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Chemistry and Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 288
Special Issue Editors
Interests: waste biomass valorisation; cellulose; aerogels; biopolymers
Interests: micro- and nanoencapsulation; functional foods; controlled delivery; biopolymers for food packaging; nanomaterials for food applications; structural characterization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Aerogels are very lightweight and porous materials that are receiving increasing attention over the past years due to their outstanding properties. As a result of their high specific area, they have traditionally served as thermal insulators, although their sound absorption capacity has also been recently tested for further insulation purposes. However, greener alternatives are currently being pursued as their use is spreading, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact, and examples range from recycled silica to alternative biomaterials.
In this sense, the possibility of developing aerogels from a wide range of biopolymers (cellulose, pectin, agar, etc.) has widened their applicability to other fields such as agronomy (due to their biodegradability), biomedicine (due to their biocompatibility) or even food industry as carriers for antioxidants or other bioactive compounds. Other possibilities include their use as electrolyte absorbers (i.e., in photovoltaics solar cells), cosmetics, or in bioremediation of oil spills.
This Special Issue focuses on recent research and advances in the applicability of aerogels in a wide range of fields, with environmental approaches (both for their application or their processability) considered especially relevant. Additionally, we welcome contributions regarding their structural improvement (i.e., mechanical performance, porosity, bioactivity). Valorisation of aerogels as waste biomass sources and their subsequent development is also of interest.
Dr. Isaac Benito-González
Prof. Dr. Amparo López-Rubio
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- biodegradable aerogels
- thermal conductivity
- acoustic insulators
- bioactive aerogels
- nanoporous materials
- biomedicine
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