Starch based aerogels: Production, properties and applications

Starch based aerogels are a class of advanced biomaterials with low density and high specific surface area. The commonly used procedures of fabricating the aerogels are starch gelatinization, retrogradation, organic solvent exchange, and supercritical CO2 drying. The resulting starch based aerogels are nanoporous and have many potential applications. This review summarises the production, physicochemcial and functional properties, and diverse applications of starch based aerogels. Comparative analysis between starch based aerogels and other similar porous materials was done to reveal any advantages of the former. The production of starch based aerogels is more environmentally friendly compared to that of other similar porous materials. The starch based aerogels have been used for encapsulation and controlled release of bioactive compounds, biomedical uses and tissue engineering, as packaging and thermal materials, and as templates for the synthesis of novel functional materials. It becomes evident that starch based aerogels have great potential to be developed as novel advanced materials for different applications.