Aerogels are materials that are characterized by having
highly porous structures and low density. They
are obtained by fixation of wet gels while maintaining
the openness of the structure in the dry process.
Among a variety of inorganic and organic precursors
of aerogels, celluloses have gained great popularity during
the last few decades due to their environmentally
and biologically-friendly features safety. Celluloses are
long-chain polymers that occur naturally on a massive
scale and are typically obtained from plant fibers such
as woods, basts, flaxes and hemps. Cellulose-based aerogels
involve the two important components that are aggressively
pursued in a broad spectrum of today’s most
prominent research issues sustainability and nanotechnology.
First, because they are made from a renewable
resource, they are considered to be sustainable, a property
that is becoming more and more important. Second,
the pore size of these aerogels is partly in the nanometerregion;
therefore, they can also be called a nanomaterial