Silica aerogels are excellent thermal insulators, but their brittle nature has prevented widespread application. To overcome these mechanical limitations, silica-biopolymer hybrids are a promising alternative. A one-pot process to monolithic, superinsulating pectin-silica hybrid aerogels is presented. Their structural and physical properties can be tuned by adjusting the gelation pH and pectin concentration. Hybrid aerogels made at pH 1.5 exhibit minimal dust release and vastly improved mechanical properties while remaining excellent thermal insulators. The change in the mechanical properties is directly linked to the observed "neck-free" nanoscale network structure with thicker struts. Such a design is superior to "neck-limited", classical inorganic aerogels. This new class of materials opens up new perspectives for novel silica-biopolymer nanocomposite aerogels.

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International audienceSilica aerogels are excellent thermal insulators, but their brittle nature has prevented widespread application. To overcome these mechanical limitations, silica–biopolymer hybrids are a promising alternative. A one-pot process to monolithic, superinsulating pectin–silica hybrid aerogels is presented. Their structural and physical properties can be tuned by adjusting the gelation pH and pectin concentration. Hybrid aerogels made at pH 1.5 exhibit minimal dust release and vastly improved mechanical properties while remaining excellent thermal insulators. The change in the mechanical properties is directly linked to the observed “neck-free” nanoscale network structure with thicker struts. Such a design is superior to “neck-limited”, classical inorganic aerogels. This new class of materials opens up new perspectives for novel silica–biopolymer nanocomposite aerogels

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The biopolymer pectin is readily extracted from apple peel and can be used as an efficient reinforcing agent for silica aerogels. In their Communication on M. M. Koebel, T. Budtova et al. present a one‐pot route to monolithic, thermally superinsulating, hybrid silica aerogels through cogelation of pectin and silicic acid, post‐processing, and supercritical drying. This study opens up new perspectives for the synthesis of high‐performance hybrid aerogels.

…k ann leicht aus Apfelschalen extrahiert werden und dient als effizientes Verstärkungsmaterial für SiO 2-Aerogele.I nd er Zuschrift auf S. 14490 ff.b eschreiben M. M. Koebel, T. Budtova et al. ein Eintopfverfahren zur Herstellung von monolithischen, thermisch superisolierenden SiO 2-Hybridaerogelen durch Kogelieren von Pectin und Kieselsäure,N achbehandeln und überkritisches Tr ocknen. Dies erçffnet neue Mçglichkeiten für die Synthese leistungsfähiger Hybridaerogele.