Silicon Carbide Aerogels: Fabrication, Properties, and Applications

Silicon carbide (SiC) aerogels are advanced materials distinguished by their low density, high porosity, exceptional thermal resistance, and tunable dielectric properties, making them highly promising for applications in thermal insulation, environmental protection, and electromagnetic wave absorption. Despite their potential, the fabrication of SiC aerogels with optimized performance presents significant challenges, including scalability issues, cost constraints, and difficulties in achieving precise control over material properties and architectures. This review comprehensively examines fabrication methods for SiC aerogels, such as sol-gel processing, electrospinning, 3D printing, and emerging synthesis techniques. It emphasizes their impact on key properties, including thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and mechanical properties. The recent advancements in the application of SiC aerogels for thermal insulation, electromagnetic wave absorption, environmental protection, sensing, and catalysis are discussed. This review concludes with an evaluation of the advantages and limitations of SiC aerogels and proposes future research directions to support their broader industrial adoption.