“…[5] Thepreparation of silica aerogels with improved mechanical properties is well-documented. Three common routes to strengthen the gel network are:1)chemical crosslinking with reactive molecules or polymers, [6] 2) impregnating or dispersing individual micro/nanoscopic secondary phases,s uch as polymers, [7] nanoparticles, [8] nanotubes, [9] or fibers, [10] into the silica matrix, and 3) using macroscopic fibrous templates made from polyester, [11] non-woven polypropylene, [12] fiberglass, [13] polyamide, [14] or electrospun polyurethane. [9] Among these strategies,c hemical crosslinking with synthetic polymers (route 1) achieves the most significant improvement in the mechanical properties (ca.…”