Aerogel has special microstructure characteristics such as high specific surface area and high porosity, stable chemical properties, low thermal conductivity, high temperature resistance, wide operating temperature range and long life. In recent years, researchers in China, the United States, Europe and other countries and regions have developed a variety of new aerogels such as biomass-based aerogel by improving the aerogel preparation process.
Aerogel is a metamaterial that is very light and will not bend even if a piece of aerogel is placed on the pistil. At present, various aerogels have been developed, which are either soft or hard, conductive or insulating, and have a wide range of applications. The steam pipeline network has extremely high requirements for corrosion protection and thermal insulation. The pipeline of the Xinxiang Steam Pipeline Project in Henan Province uses high-temperature centrifugal glass wool and nano-aerogel composite thermal insulation materials. Wang Xing, the technical director of the project, said that the thermal insulation effect of nano-aerogel is 2 to 5 times that of traditional thermal insulation materials, which can greatly improve the construction quality and efficiency and reduce construction costs.
As the solid material with the lowest known thermal conductivity and the smallest density, aerogel can be said to be the "insulation king" in the field of materials, and has been used in aerospace, petrochemical and other fields. For example, aerogels are used in the engine of the Tianwen-1 probe and the surface of the Mars rover, the heat insulation of the high-temperature gas system of the Long March 5 Yao-4 carrier rocket engine, and the thermal battery protection of the Chang'e-4 probe. After my country proposed the "dual carbon" goal, with the continuous innovation of technology, the application scenarios of aerogels are also further expanded.


With the characteristics of high temperature resistance, high elasticity, strong adsorption, etc.
Aerogel is a new type of nano-scale porous solid material. The volume of all pores together accounts for the vast majority of the entire aerogel volume, and can even reach 99%. It has special microstructure characteristics such as high specific surface area, high porosity, nano-scale pores, and low density. It has stable chemical properties, low thermal conductivity, high temperature resistance, high elasticity, strong adsorption, good waterproof effect, wide operating temperature range, and long life.
"Aerogel can be understood as a nano version of a porous sponge." Wang Beier, a technical expert in the field of aerogel, said that its pore size is between 20 nanometers and 50 nanometers. The size of air molecules is about 70 nanometers, which is larger than the diameter of aerogel pores. Therefore, the air flow efficiency on aerogel is extremely low. In addition, the specific heat capacity of aerogel itself is very high, and the heat radiation transfer can be minimized, so it has good thermal insulation performance.
Aerogels are mainly divided into three categories: inorganic aerogels, organic aerogels, and organic-inorganic hybrid aerogels. Among them, inorganic aerogels are mainly inorganic, including single-substance aerogels, oxide aerogels, and sulfide aerogels. Organic aerogels are mainly organic, mainly including phenolic aerogels, cellulose aerogels, polyimide aerogels, chitosan aerogels, and chitosan-cellulose aerogels. Organic-inorganic hybrid aerogels can utilize the respective advantages of organic and inorganic substances to achieve special functionalization of aerogels.
In 2021, "Science" magazine listed aerogels as one of the top ten popular scientific and technological achievements, and called it "a multifunctional new material that can change the world." Wang Beier said that aerogel is the only material among the top ten new materials selected by "Science" magazine that has been widely used in actual commercial scenarios.
The preparation process of aerogel is mainly divided into two steps, namely preparing gel through the sol-gel process, and then using a certain drying method to replace the liquid substance in the gel with gas to obtain aerogel.
Data show that in the cost structure of the aerogel industry, manufacturing costs account for about 45%. Zheng Song, assistant to the chairman of Suzhou Jinfu Technology Co., Ltd., said that reducing the cost of aerogel is a direction that the industry is working on. At present, one of the main paths is the implementation of automated production lines, and cost reduction will open up more application scenarios.