Nanoparticle-Based Aerogels and Their Prospective Future Applications
Alexander Eychmüller
Abstract
The abundance of accessible colloidally prepared nanoparticles forms the basis for nanoparticle-based aerogels. Synthetic methods have been developed to destabilize colloidal nanoparticle solutions in a controlled manner, resulting first in wet gels and then in aerogels. In addition to other ways to make aerogels, efforts have been made, in particular, to transfer particles of different sizes, shapes, natures, and compositions together into aerogels. All this happens in the context of the phenomenon of self-organization at the nanoscale, which is due to Brownian motion and complex potentials between particles. Some of these ways are traced, recent developments are compiled as examples and some ideas for the further development of this fruitful research field are collected.