Advances in precursor system for silica-based aerogel production toward improved mechanical properties, customized morphology, and multifunctionality: A review

Conventional silica-based aerogels are among the most promising materials considering their special properties, such as extremely low thermal conductivity (~15 mW/mK) and low-density (∼0.003–0.5 g.cm−3) as well as high surface area (500–1200 m2. g−1). However, they have relatively low mechanical properties and entail extensive and energy-consuming processing steps. Silica-based aerogels are mostly fragile and possess minimal mechanical properties as well as a long processing procedure which hinders their application range. The key point in improving the mechanical properties of such a material is to increase the connectivity in the aerogel backbone. Several methods of mechanical improvement of silica-based aerogels have been explored by researchers such as (i) use of flexible silica precursors in silica gel backbone, (ii) surface-crosslinking of silica particles with a polymer, (iii) prolonged aging step in different solutions, (iv) distribution of flexible nanofillers into the silica solution prior to gelation, and, most recently, (v) polymerizing the silica precursor prior to gelation. The polymerized silica precursor, as in the most recent approach, can be gelled either by binodal decomposition (nucleation and growth), resulting in a particulate structure, or by spinodal decomposition, resulting in a non-particulate structure. By optimizing the material composition and processing conditions of materials, the aerogel can be tailored with different functional capabilities. This review paper presents a literature survey of precursor modification toward increased connectivity in the backbone, and the synthesis of inorganic and hybrid systems containing siloxane in the backbone of the silica-based aerogels and its composite version with carbon nanofillers. This review also explains the novel properties and applications of these material systems in a wide area. The relationship among the materials-processing-structure-properties in these kinds of aerogels is the most important factor in the development of aerogel products with given morphologies (particulate, fiber-like, or non-particulate) and their resultant properties. This approach to advancing precursor systems leads to the next-generation, multifunctional silica-based aerogel materials.