Characterization of Aerogels – Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

Aerogels are porous materials with potential applications in fields ranging from thermal insulation, catalyst support, filters, electrical storage, components in optical devices, mechanical damping all the way to drug release. However, careful reliable characterization is the base for both, understanding of fundamental structure - property relationships as well as a directed development of materials and composites for specific applications. The review therefore addressed severe problem upon aerogel characterization that have been identified in the past and presents reliable non-destructive alternatives and novel methods that can be applied for the characterization of aerogels as well as their gel precursors.