Metal–organic
frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline nanoporous
coordination polymers made of metal ions and organic linkers. Aerogels
are highly nanoporous amorphous polymers that can be organic, inorganic,
or hybrid. Both of these unique materials have been extensively investigated
in many laboratories around the world for a wide range of applications
ranging from separations to catalysis, resulting in thousands of published
articles in a wide variety of journals. MOF/aerogel composites (MOFACs)
are a new class of nanostructured materials that are attracting increasing
attention because of their favorable properties. The combination of
the micro- and mesoporosities of MOFs with the meso- and macroporosities
of aerogels makes MOFACs hierarchically multimodal porous materials.
With their high surface areas and combined morphological, mechanical,
physicochemical, and functional properties of both MOFs and aerogels,
MOFACs have demonstrated outstanding performances in various applications.
Herein we provide an overview of the techniques used to synthesize
MOFACs in various shapes such as monoliths or particles based on incorporation
of MOFs into the porous networks of aerogels along with literature
examples. The synthesis of aerogel-supported metals and metal oxides
using MOFACs as precursors is also described. Several applications
of these composites are reviewed, including adsorption, separation,
catalysis, energy conversion, and storage devices such as batteries
and supercapacitors. Future prospects in synthesis techniques and
applications are provided to address opportunities and challenges
in the field of MOFACs.