The development of aerogel has received continuous support from national policies. In 2014 and 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission included aerogel in the "National Key Energy-Efficient and Low-Carbon Technology Promotion Catalogue" for two consecutive years, initiating the initial promotion and application of aerogel; in June 2018, aerogel was included in the emerging industry of building materials; in September of the same year, the first national standard for aerogel, "Nanopore Aerogel Composite Insulation Products", was released; in 2020, the "Technical Standard for Aerogel Thermal Insulation Coating System" was put into use; in 2021, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Comprehensively Implementing the New Development Philosophy and Doing a Good Job in Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" proposed to promote the research and application of new materials such as aerogel. 
As the application technology of aerogels continues to mature, the development of aerogels has entered a "fast lane". However, Li Weikuo said that there are still some problems in the current research of aerogels. For instance, the thermal conductivity of aerogels increases rapidly under high-temperature conditions, and its adhesion to fiber and other reinforcing matrix materials is poor; many organic solvents are used in the production process, which can easily cause environmental pollution; aerogels are difficult to be recycled and reused, which is not conducive to sustainable development, etc. 
In addition, the production cost of aerogels is high and the product prices are expensive. The "2022 Aerogel Industry Report" indicates that the main costs of aerogel production are concentrated in the silicon source materials, equipment depreciation, and energy consumption. Reducing costs effectively depends not only on breakthroughs in the preparation process but also on achieving large-scale industrialization of low-cost raw materials. 
Aerogel is a rare material that can simultaneously meet various requirements such as fire resistance, water resistance, heat insulation, and sound insulation. Li Weikuo said that the development and application of aerogel are still in a process of continuous exploration. The main research directions in the future focus on developing new types of aerogels such as cellulose aerogel, graphene aerogel, perovskite structure aerogel, and non-metallic elemental aerogel.