Overview of organic–inorganic hybrid silica aerogels: Progress and perspectives

Silica aerogels are futuristic materials. However, the real-world applications of these materials are limited owing to their fragility. A variety of composite materials have been investigated to overcome this barrier. Silica-based multifunctional hybrid composite aerogels have attracted considerable attention as they inherit the advantages of both organic and inorganic components. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of organic–inorganic hybridization strategies to strengthen silica aerogels using various polymers, biopolymers, and nanocarbon materials. The inclusion of polymers can enhance the mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposite aerogels. Furthermore, the properties of composite aerogels can be tuned by modifying the composition on the molecular scale. The interfacial interaction between silica and polymers and strengthening mechanism for enhancing the material properties are discussed. Moreover, synthesis strategies and technical challenges are highlighted to promote the design and application of aerogels with improved mechanical properties.