The compressive performance was explained by the shape recovery of the chitosan aerogel. The relationship between the compressive strength and the cross-linker Glu concentration was described in Fig. 7a. On the basis of Flory theory, higher crosslinker content gives rise to more intensive junction in the network. The shrinkage of free volume and skeleton interspace arouse the enhancement of physical and chemical interaction in the cross-linked network, which play a significant role in resisting compression. In Fig. 7b, the thickness recovery SR defined as the percentage of the original thickness which was recorded after specimen was compressed to 20% of its initial height. The lowest SR 87.75% was found in the first cycle and should be associated with avoidless slight collapse of the partial pore structure. After Cycle 1, the thickness recovery was altered from 94.83% to 96.3%. The chitosan aerogel performed higher flexibility (as shown in Fig. 7c), while the conventional silica aerogels was seldom observed. This behavior was attributed to the formation of three-dimension network structure. The superior elastic resilience endowed the chitosan aerogel with a more flexible and convenient application mode.