Aerogels are open, three-dimensional, porous materials characterized by outstanding properties, such as low density, high porosity, and high surface area. They have been used in various fields as adsorbents, catalysts, materials for thermal insulation, or matrices for drug delivery. Aerogels have been successfully used for environmental applications to eliminate toxic and harmful substances-such as metal ions or organic dyes-contained in wastewater, and pollutants-including aromatic or oxygenated volatile organic compounds (VOCs)-contained in the air. This updated review on the use of different aerogels-for instance, graphene oxide-, cellulose-, chitosan-, and silica-based aerogels-provides information on their various applications in removing pollutants, the results obtained, and potential future developments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/molecules26154440 | DOI Listing |
Environ Res
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, PR China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Corrosion and Protection, Xi'an University of Technology, Xi'an 710048, PR China. Electronic address:
Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) exhibits unique application potential in water purification due to its large specific surface area, high porosity, and chemical inertness. Designing adsorbents with highly active adsorption sites is one effective method to improve their adsorption capacities. In this study, porous h-BN aerogels containing multiple defect types (DP-BN) were synthesized by using salt templates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater Res
December 2024
Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Engineering Research Center of Watershed Carbon Neutralization, Ministry of Education, School of Resource and Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China. Electronic address:
To effectively mitigate global eutrophication in lakes, regulating sedimentary phosphorus release remains a primary strategy. Enhancing the adsorption and stabilization performance of passivating agents is integral to addressing endogenous phosphorus pollution in aquatic systems. This study presents a novel aerogel with a high specific surface area (663.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall Methods
January 2025
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 52828, South Korea.
In various applications, the pore structure of a porous medium must be controlled to facilitate heat and mass transfer, which considerably influence the system performance. Freeze-casting is a versatile technique for creating aligned pores; However, because of the complexity of the associated equipment and the energy inefficiency of liquid-nitrogen-based cooling in a room-temperature environment, limits scalability for industrial applications. This study is aimed at establishing a novel freeze-casting strategy with a simple mold design combining heat-conductive and insulating materials for long-range pore alignment via directional ice growth under deep-freezing conditions, rendering it feasible for large-scale production.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
January 2025
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, P. R. China.
Aerogels are regarded as the next generation of thermal insulators; however, conventional aerogels suffer from issues such as brittleness, low moisture resistance, and a complex production process. Subnanowires (SNWs) are emerging materials known for their exceptional flexibility, toughness, intrinsic hydrophobicity, and gelling capabilities, making them ideal building blocks for flexible, tough, hydrophobic, and thermally insulating aerogels. Herein, we present a simple and scalable strategy to construct SNW aerogels by freeze-drying hydroxyapatite (HAP) SNW dispersions in cyclohexane.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Horiz
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, People's Republic of China.
Given extremely high porosity, aerogels have demonstrated remarkable advantages in serving as thermal insulation and wave-transparent materials. Unfortunately, their practical applications are greatly confined by their inherent fragility. The recent emergence of polymer aerogels presents an ideal platform for the development of flexible aerogel films.
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