1. Introduction
Aerogels are a fascinating substance of the twenty-first century due to its unique structure [
1]. They possess remarkable properties like high porosity, low density, huge surface area, and superb heat and sound insulation. However, their low mechanical strength and high production costs restrict their usefulness [
2].
Aerogels are extremely porous nanostructured materials invented by Kistler in 1931 [
2,
3]. Aerogels may be created using either supercritical drying or freeze-drying processes. The material’s microporous structure stays intact throughout drying in both circumstances. Kistler’s first aerogel, prepared by supercritical drying, was silica based. During the creation of silica aerogels, toxic precursors were used, and the aerogel formed was not biodegradable [
4]. The costly process of making this type of aerogel, having restrictions described earlier confirms restricted use of this material [
4].
Aerogel is also used to develop a wide range of tools, such as optoelectronics, adsorption catalysis, sound insulation, pharmaceutical materials, and aerospace materials [
5,
6,
7,
8,
9,
10]. However, some drawbacks, together with the huge expenses associated with fabrication, have severely limited the use of aerogels [
11]. Aerogels can be formed using a wide range of materials, including inorganic ones [
12], synthetic polymer-based [
13], and natural polymer-based [
14,
15] as cellulose [
16,
17] depending on the starting substance used for their manufacture [
2,
18].
Cellulose aerogels, in particular, have cellulose’s renewability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, as well as additional benefits like small density value (0.0005–0.35 g.cm
-3), enhanced porosity (84.0–99.9%), along with a huge specific surface area, representing cellulose aerogels as the materials with the highest potential in the 21st century [
11]. Cellulose aerogels represent a greater compressive strength (0.0052 -16.67 MPa) and superior biodegradability [
11]. So, cellulose aerogels are an ecofriendly and versatile modern material with enormous opportunities in the application of adsorption and oil/water separation, heat separator, biomedical materials, metal nanoparticle/metal oxide carriers and carbon aerogel precursor. Cellulose aerogel as a porous solid, is typically produced through a two-step process: cellulose or cellulose derivatives are dissolved/dispersed, resulting in the formation of cellulose sol using the sol-gel method, and the cellulose sol is subsequently dried to gel preserving sol three-dimensional porous structure. [
11].
This study describes the materials used in the production of many types of cellulose-based aerogels, their features, analytical techniques, and multi-functionality on textiles. For the textile sector, the different techniques for the multifunctionality of cellulose-based aerogels and analyses are comprehensively discussed [
11].
2. Creating Cellulose Aerogel
Cellulose can be derived from various sources [
19,
20,
21], Plants and plant-based materials, such as rice straw, are among the most commonly utilized sources for obtaining cellulose [
22], cannabis [
23], cotton [
24,
25], wood [
26,
27], potato tubers [
28], coconut (coir) [
29] and bagasse [
30]. The extraction of cellulose involves obtaining it from specific plant species and employing various production processes, including pretreatment, post-treatment, and disintegration processes, determine its performance characteristics, like size, molecular chain length (degree of polymerization, DP), thermal stability, and degree of crystallinity [
31,
32]. As a result, the plant source significantly impacts the structure and performance of cellulose aerogels [
34,
35].
Cellulose is a member of the polysaccharide’s family, which is the primary building element for plants. Plants are the first or most basic link in the food chain (which details the feeding interactions of all living organisms) [
33,
34,
35]. Cellulose is a key component of many natural fibers, including cotton and other plants [
36,
37].
Cellulose exhibits insolubility in water and the majority of common solvents [
34], owing to strong intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding between individual chains [
33]. Cellulose is employed in a variety of products despite its poor solubility, including composites, netting, upholstery, coatings, packaging, and paper. To make cellulose more processable and to produce cellulose derivatives, which can be customized for certain industrial purposes, cellulose is chemically modified [
38,
39].
Aerogel materials can benefit from the mechanical qualities and moisture affinity of cellulose and its derivatives [
40,
41,
42]. To keep their solid network, the dissolving cellulose in appropriate media, such as NMMO, hydrates of some molten salt and ionic liquids is realized, and then drying using processes such as supercritical or freeze drying [
43,
44,
45,
46,
47] are used for preparation of cellulose aerogels. There are several strategies for creating cellulose aerogels published in the literature [
44,
45,
48,
49,
50]. The manufacturing of cellulose aerogels and their applications are depicted in
Figure 1.
Furthermore, employing cellulose as a precursor in the production of aerogels has the following benefits. (1) The supply of cellulose raw materials is infinite and renewable; (2) Because the cellulose chain contains a lot of hydroxyl groups, no cross-linking agent is needed during the aerogel production process. A stable three-dimensional (3D) network structure can be created by employing hydrogen bond physical cross-linking both intra- and -inter molecules, building the aerogel production technique incredibly easy. (3) Chemical cellulose modification is a quick and easy method for enhancing the structural integrity and mechanical strength of cellulose aerogels. The performance and concentration of the cellulose have a significant impact on the manufacturing process and structural characteristics of cellulose aerogels [
11]. To create cellulose gels, the cellulose morphology and structure of the cellulose fibers must be changed. This is done by using a suitable solvent [
52,
53,
54], that is capable of breaking the large hydrogen bonding network that does not degrade along the cellulose polymer chain or beginning polymer chain derivate processes [
44].
Because of its numerous interior pores and effective heat insulation, cellulose aerogel is one of the most capable thermal insulating materials for construction or domestic applications (for example, refrigerator insulation material) and has the potential to improve their poor properties as flame retardancy, huge swelling, and antibacterial properties [
55,
56].
Table 1.
Classification of Cellulose-based aerogel together with published examples from.
Table 1.
Classification of Cellulose-based aerogel together with published examples from.
Classification of Cellulose Aerogels |
Cellulose -Aerogel Type |
Starting material |
Solvent |
Surface chemistry |
Drying method |
Application |
Ref. |
-
1.
Natural Cellulose
|
Pineapple leaf fiber, Cotton waste fiber |
Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) |
- |
Freeze-drying Freeze-drying |
Building towards sustainable development |
[29] |
Raw cotton fibers and cotton stalk |
Tert-butyl alcohol |
- |
- |
[57] |
Softwood cellulose pulp |
TEMPO |
Monocomponent endoglucanase, cupriethylendiamine |
Bio-fabrication of tissues, additional health and pharmacological uses |
[58] |
1.a. Nano Cellulose |
Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), Graphite powder, concentrated sulfuric acid, concentrated acetic acid, solution hydrogen peroxide |
Sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, MO (methyl orange), and potassium permanganate |
NaOH |
Freeze-drying |
The treatment of domestic organic wastewater |
[59] |
1.b. Bacterial Cellulose |
Komagataeibacter sucrofermentans H-110, TEMPO, dextrose, protein hydrolysate, yeast concentrate, disodium phosphate |
Sodium hydroxide solution |
NaClO, NaBr |
Freeze-drying |
Bio-fabrication of tissues and preparation of injury treatment materials |
[4] |
Bacterial cellulose (BC) pellicles |
- |
Deionized water (DIW) |
Pressure sensors, batteries and super-capacitors, substrates for catalysts, high-tech detectors |
[60] |
-
2.
Regenerated Cellulose
|
Cotton and viscose-based regenerated cellulose |
Imidazolium acetate ([EMIM], non-enium acetate ([DBNH][OAc]) |
DMSO |
Supercritical CO2, Lyophilization, ambitious drying |
- |
[61]
|
Bamboo pulp boards |
NaOH/urea aqueous solutions |
Methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP), potassium hydroxide (KOH) |
Freeze-drying Freeze-drying |
Application of energy storage devices |
[62] |
Bamboo cellulose nanofibrils (BCNF) |
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) |
Sodium tetraborate decahydrate (borax), N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA), Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) |
Eco-friendly wrapping in the refrigerated transportation of fresh produce |
[63] |
-
3.
Cellulose Derivative
|
Softwood kraft pulp sheets |
1,2-ethanediol, hydroxylammonium chloride monochloroacetic acid, poly-(1,4)-β-D-glucosamine |
Sodium (meta) periodate, sodium chlorite |
Freeze-drying Freeze-drying |
The production of advanced bio-adsorbents |
[64] |
Softwood bleached kraft pulp (SBKP) |
Water/tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) |
(TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofibril (TOCN) |
High performance air filter |
[65] |
Cellulose acetate |
Acetone |
Polymethylene polyphenylpolyisocyanate (PMDI) |
ScCO2 drying |
Thermal insulation application |
[50] |
2.1. Sol–Gel Procedure
All steps of the production process influences of the gel structural characteristics, determining its characteristics and, as a result, the utilizations (
Figure 2) [
66]. Frequently, also other techniques are employed in improving the structural attributes and characteristics of the cellulose based gel [
67].
A colloidal suspension is produced by dispersing solid nanoscale particles formed from a reactant in a liquid.
Adding an acidic or basic catalyst initiates crosslinking and leads to the linkage and spreading of particles, forming an interlinked network configuration.
Gel aging: To strengthen the gel’s backbone and material toughness, it is aged in its mother solution.
To avoid gel fracture, the solvent is extracted from the pores of the gel during drying [
68].
The procedure starts with the creation of a colloidal solution, often known as a sol. A solution of reactants and solvents contains solid nanoparticles or initiator materials. Ageing, drying, densification, crystallization, hydrolysis, polycondensation, and gelation are the steps needed. Following the creation of the sol, it is commonly mixed with one of the preceding methods, resulting in a spongy framework within a wet,- semi-solid consistency [
68,
69].
Solvent-gel products may be manufactured from a variety of substances, including oxides such as silicon dioxide and oxide minerals, natural compounds such as large molecules like plant-derived material, and carbon-based substances such as 2D carbon allotropes and carbon nano pipes [
68,
70]. Pineapple fibers (PF) aerogels were successfully created by pre-treating PFs with naturally decomposable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). PVA solution preparation was combined with PFs and freeze-dried. According to the findings, the PF have high porosities (~99%), ultra-low densities, and micro-porous formations as shown by field-emission scanning electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The exceptionally low thermal conductivities of PF aerogel demonstrate its applicability for thermal barrier uses. A thermal coat wrapped over a water bottle with a PF aerogel filling can unquestionably keep the water temperature near 0 °C (just above the freezing temperature) up to 6 hours (temperature for beginning: -3 °C) and more than 40 °C up to 2.5 hours (temperature for beginning: 90 °C). The thermal coat has a potential thermal barrier that is nearly three times that of a product that is currently on the market [
71]. The goal of the paper waste cellulose aerogel is to develop a thermal coat for army canteens to increase the life of ice slurry for dynamic army troops in exercise or operations. However, because of the minimal stretching capacity and the ease with which the bio-based aerogel structure can be damaged, the bio-based aerogels must be sandwiched between two protective layers to make the thermal coat more durable. The paper waste was combined with deionized water and crosslinked with Kymene chemicals (crosslinker based on polyamide-epichlorohydrin resin) before being frozen overnight. After freezing, the gel was dried using the lyophilization drying technique at -91 °C to create cellulose aerogels, followed by the crosslinking process in the dryer for 3 h at 120 °C. Following all measurements, the results show that the heat barrier function of the developed thermal coats is significantly better than that of marketed thermal flasks, and similar to that of vacuum flasks for the same duration of 4 hours and surrounding temperatures [
72]. Cellulose aerogels were made by dissolvable cellulose filaments in melts of calcium thiocyanate salt hydrate, then regenerating in ethanol and drying under supercritical CO
2. It is possible to create uniform structured bio-based aerogels with minimal bulk mass. The microstructure of bio-based aerogels exhibited a continuous 3D network with a large specific surface ratio coupled with a significantly sponge-like structure (up to98%). This research enabled the examination of increased cellulose amounts of up to 6% wt. Bio-based aerogels displayed remarkable physical strength and heat transfer efficiency for textile applications at atmospheric pressure. The Young’s modulus of cellulose aerogels can be reached 13.5 MPa, and the Poisson ratio is near to zero [
73]. Yangyang exploited discarded cotton textiles to enhance the anti-flaming capabilities of cellulose aerogels by producing magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles in situ in cellulose gel nanostructures. In addition, three-dimensionally nano porous cellulose gels were produced by disintegrating and coagulating cellulose in an aqueous NaOH/urea solution, and these were employed as patterns for the un-clustered production of magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles. According to the findings, produced mixture -matrix aerogels have extremely porous architectures and exceptional thermal isolation characteristics with minimal heat transfer. In addition, effective flame-retardant and mechanical characteristics are obtained [
74].
The sol-gel process is linked to the organic polymer type. Because molecular composition of organic polymer variants contains a restricted amount of active (e.g. hydroxyl) groups, a connecting agent is often necessary to achieve a required gel structure [
11].
The creation of bio-based aerogels from nanoscale crystalline polysaccharide and dissolvable organic polymer from various materials is shown schematically in
Figure 2 simply by recovering them as a coagulant from their liquid solution, followed by lyophilization and the resulting regenerated cellulose alcogel [
75].
2.2. Drying Methods of Cellulose-Based Aerogels
The most crucial phase in the manufacture of aerogels is drying. The drying process influences the shape of cellulose aerogels. Due to the capillary pressure, traditional drying processes can result in the collapse of the gel pore structure. Supercritical drying (using alcohol, acetone, or CO
2) and vacuum freeze-drying are extensively used for cellulose aerogel manufacturing procedures [
76,
77]. The sublimation of a solid, frozen water, from a moist precursor’s pores is identified as freeze-drying. As a result of the formation of ice during the process of water freezing, freeze-drying produces a sheet-like cellulose network with large and linked holes having width in numerous micrometers [
77] Under supercritical (sc) conditions, the absence of a liquid/gas meniscus results in a complete elimination of surface tension between the liquid and gas phases. ScCO
2 dried aerogels usually have a cauliflower-like cellulose arrangement: an assemblage of tiny shaggy beads.
2.2.1. Drying by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Aerogels are formed by drying a wet gel while keeping most of its intrinsic porosity. Silica gels are produced using the sol-gel method, which modifies the molecular structure of the gel [
78]. After use and washing, the wet gel’s porous silica structure is strengthened, and the pores are only partially filled with the pore liquid, which is often an organic solvent (ethanol). If the wet gel is dried in circumstances where the porous silica structure partially collapses due to capillary forces [
3,
79], the dry and wrinkled gels are identified as xerogels or cryogels. To maintain the gel’s porous structure, the supercritical drying method can be employed, effectively eliminating capillary forces during the drying process [
80,
81,
82]. The organic solvent is first eliminated from the gel by applying compressed CO
2 at operational settings above the pore liquid and CO
2 mixture critical point. With no liquid-gas interactions and hence no capillary forces, this ensures extraction in a single-phase mixing process. CO
2 can be emitted in a single-phase process during progressive depressurization at operational conditions above its critical temperature after entirely replacing CO
2 for the organic solvent. The remaining material is dried gel, the pores of which are promptly filled with CO
2 after drying. When dried gel is exposed to air, CO
2 is exchanged, and the gel is called an aerogel [
78]. CO
2 is a fluid normally employed in the drying of cellulose aerogels because of a reasonable critical point (304 K, 7.4 MPa) and the benefits of low cost and great safety.
Supercritical drying is distinguished by the two-way mass transfer of scCO
2 and gel solvent into and out of the wet gel pores [
83]. To begin, the drying is largely caused by a high scCO
2 dissolution in the liquid gel solvent, which results in an expanded liquid and spilling of the extra liquid volume removed from the gel network. Second, the amount of CO
2 increases over time until supercritical conditions are reached for the fluid mixture in the pores, without any intermediary vapor-liquid transitions. Finally, the presence of supercritical fluid mixtures in pores with no liquid phases causes a lack of surface tension, which precludes pore collapse in the gel structure during solvent removal [
83].
The water with a high surface tension might destroy a cellulose network’s delicate and extremely porous structure, which is generated during the drying process. The reasons behind this phenomenon include variances in the specific energies during the transitions between solid-liquid and liquid-gas phases, along with the generation of inward forces near the solvent menisci along the capillary walls. As a result, it is required to entirely replace the high surface tension water [
84]. In an NMMO solvent system, for example, while manufacturing regenerated cellulose aerogels, The cellulose gel requires re-priming with water, followed by either ethanol and acetone exchange or solely acetone exchange [
85,
86]. In the case of employing an ionic liquid as the solvent system, the cellulose gel necessitates an initial re-priming step with water, followed by subsequent acetone exchanges conducted repeatedly [
47]. Ethanol exchange is a popular treatment for natural cellulose aerogels [
87,
88]. It has been demonstrated that cellulose solvent residue reduces drying efficacy [
45]. Furthermore, the surface tension of various liquids, as well as shaking is involved during the re-priming and solvent exchange procedures, may destroy the cellulose gel structure [
45,
89]. The solvent exchange process is exceedingly slow, requiring an average of 2-3 days. Finally, supercritical drying using scCO
2 can be helpful to reduce damage caused by capillary pressure inside the pores can be advantageous, as it promotes the production of aerogel materials with enhanced uniformity in their 3D network.
However, because a high-pressure tank is required, this method is costly [
11]. Nevertheless, the SCD processes offer a notable advantage in that the choice of solvent for the gelation process is highly versatile, allowing for a wide range of options. This approach is applicable across several types of gel materials and is not limited to specific ones. Two fundamental drying strategies exist: high-temperature (HT) drying and low-temperature (LT) drying [
90].
After a pre-pressurization stage, the solvent is heated over its critical point in the high temperature (HT) process. This method requires heating the wet samples and solvent in a sealed autoclave to supercritical temperatures. For commonly used organic solvents, which have a critical point above 200 °C and a critical pressure ranging from 40 to 80 bar, the desired conditions can be achieved through this method. Subsequently, a slow depressurization is carried out [
91,
92,
93,
94,
95]. The process and instrumentation involved in the high-temperature (HT) approach are straightforward, as it does not require pumps, and it enables direct surface modification to produce hydrophobic aerogels. However, one disadvantage of utilizing organic solvents is the risk of fire in the case of an unintentional or uncontrolled discharge, and the higher temperature may cause damage to heat-sensitive components. An alternative to the normal HT method is to drop the temperature slightly, maintaining it below the solvent’s critical temperature [
96,
97].
Low temperature drying uses supercritical carbon dioxide (CO
2) since it has a low critical temperature (31 °C), is non-flammable, and is ecologically friendly. To eliminate all solvents, wet gel samples are periodically, or continuously flushed, with supercritical CO
2. Heat exchangers and a liquid CO
2 pump are critical equipment components for both periodic and continuous operations. The continuous low-temperature (LT) method may need a greater volume of CO
2; nevertheless, particular drying costs can be greatly lowered via careful optimization and scaling to an industrial level [
98,
99]. Supercritical conditions offer the possibility of functionalizing the aerogel skeleton [
100]. Considering the significance of aerogels in both scientific research and industrial applications, extensive studies have been carried out to examine the influence of drying conditions, diffusion, chemical composition, and temperature profiles on the quality of aerogels [
78,
80,
81,
82,
101,
102,
103,
104].
2.2.2. Vacuum Freezing and Drying
Cellulose aerogels can be produced using a straightforward and environmentally friendly method known as vacuum freeze-drying. At a temperature below the freezing point of the liquid medium, which is usually water, the gel is initially frozen in this process. Much of the liquid is then eliminated through sublimation, which is an essential step to avoid structural collapse and reduce shrinkage. Consequently, the pore structure of porous aerogels, including pore morphology and distribution, is influenced by the liquid crystallization process and growth behavior, which are controlled by the cooling rate and temperature. Additionally, various factors such as cellulose content, gel size and shape, and temperature affect the rate of sublimation, which is typically slow [
11].
Freeze-dried aerogels that are made of nanocellulose, and its derivatives are commonly encountered, although the self-agglomeration of nanocellulose may reduce their specific surface area. Tert-butyl alcohol, on the other hand, possesses a low interfacial tension and a single hydroxyl group, enabling it to create hydrogen bonds with the surface hydroxyl or carboxyl groups of nanocellulose and its derivatives. Altogether, the presence of multiple butyl groups creates a steric barrier that inhibits the aggregation of nanocellulose. Consequently, when employed in solvent exchange, tert-butyl alcohol has the potential to preserve the gel structure of nanocellulose and its derivatives more effectively than water, thereby preventing the collapse of the cellulose aerogel structure [
49,
105,
106,
107].
By employing liquid nitrogen or liquid propane to enhance thermal conductivity, it is possible to quickly cool the cellulose gel. This process effectively reduces cellulose agglomeration and the formation of ice crystals, while simultaneously increasing the porosity of the resulting aerogel. Zhang et al. examined three different chilling rates in their study: liquid nitrogen (-196 °C for 30 minutes), a freezer with an extremely low temperature (-80 °C for 12 hours), and a standard refrigerator (-20 °C for 24 hours). Their observations revealed that the use of liquid nitrogen facilitated the rapid formation of ice crystals, thereby effectively mitigating cellulose self-agglomeration and leading to the development of a more homogeneous and seamless surface structure [
108]. In order to achieve uniformly structured aerogels, the utilization of anti-freezing chemicals [
109] and spray freeze-drying techniques [
110,
111] both depend on accelerating the freezing rate. However, prior to the advancement of the solid-liquid interface, comparable freezing rates and localized temperature gradients are observed, similar to the scenario of freeze-drying small samples in a freezer while simultaneously cooling the larger sample [
11]. The specific surface area and pore size distribution of a specific kind of cellulose aerogel are significantly influenced by the drying process employed [
43,
87]. Because of the creation of ice crystals and the high interfacial tension of water, freeze-drying typically generates fractures in the aerogel material. Another disadvantage of freeze-drying is its lengthy processing time and significant electric energy usage. In contrast, drying with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) offers improved preservation of the cellulose gel structure, resulting in aerogels with minimal shrinkage, smaller pore sizes, and higher specific surface areas [
46,
88,
112,
113].
2.2.3. Ambient Drying
Atmospheric pressure drying of (ligno-)cellulose aerogels is still in its infancy. The fundamental issue impeding the development of atmospheric drying for aerogels is significant network shrinkage produced through the liquid meniscus and pressure gradient. Under the same regeneration circumstances, vacuum-dried aerogels show significant shrinkage and collapse as compared to supercritical CO
2-dried aerogels. According to ESEM images, the capillary force during vacuum drying degrades the porous structure. [
114].
The structure of cellulose aerogels may be adjusted and controlled using drying processes. For this purpose, four drying procedures are outlined. ScCO
2 drying can result in mesopore aerogels with large specific areas and high porosities. Although t-BuOH drying can achieve comparable conclusions, the porous structure created is less homogeneous than that produced by ScCO
2 drying [
114].
7. Global Market Study Focused on Cellulose-based Aerogel and Their Future Aspects
The aerogel market is witnessing significant growth driven by several factors, including the growing oil and gas industry requirement and unique qualities related to aerogel, such as exceptional heat resistance, recyclable use, and recoverability. In a recent report titled "Aerogel Market by Form (Blanket, Particle, Panel, and Monolith), Type (Silica, Polymers, Carbon, and Others), End-Use Industry (Building and Construction, Oil and Gas, Automotive, Aerospace, Performance Coatings, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2032," published by Allied Market Research, it was revealed that the global aerogel market reached a value of
$1.3 billion in 2022. The commercial industry is projected to rise at a CAGR of 19.4% from 2023 to 2032, reaching a value of
$7.5 billion. This growth is a result of the increasing applications of aerogel across various industries, including infrastructure development, petroleum and natural gas, vehicle manufacturing, aeronautics, efficiency-enhancing coatings, and others. The report highlights the diverse forms of aerogel, such as blanket, particle, panel, and monolith, as well as several types including silica, polymers, carbon, and others. The forecast indicates a promising future for the aerogel market, driven by its wide range of applications and the growing demand for innovative and sustainable materials [
232]. There is a significant current focus on the utilization of both synthetic polymers and biopolymers in the production of aerogels. Natural polymers derived from diverse reservoirs, including polysaccharides including sodium alginate, plant fiber, pectic substances, poly-(1,4)-2-amino-2-deoxy-β-D-glucan, poly-(1,4)-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, as well as lignocellulosic biomass, amino compounds, and other materials, have been employed as reactant for aerogel synthesis. For instance, the "Aerowood" project in the European Union aims to explore various fractions derived from lignocellulose, such as unlike C5 and C6 sugars, for the purpose of aerogel manufacturing [
233]. The obtained aerogels demonstrate a combination of the specific functionalities inherent to the utilized biopolymers and the characteristic traits of aerogels, including an open porous structure having a large surface density and porosity. This synergistic blend of features presents a significant capacity for a broad range of utilization. It is important to highlight that the characteristics of the biopolymers, such as molar mass, components, and branching level, have a notable impact on both the overall properties of aerogels and the molecular-level structure of their porous network [
234].
Therefore, the primary focus of analysis in natural polymer aerogels revolves around defining numerical relationships between the characteristics of aerogels and the chemical nature of raw materials, together with exploring various material mixes. Additionally, the ongoing search for alternative primary resources that offer improved eco-friendly nature and cost-effective is essential, particularly for applications with high demand [
234].
Figure 7 shows where the cellulose-based aerogel takes place in the pie chart and what is the growth in general aerogel usage.
Cellulose aerogels hold immense promise for a range of prospective applications and advancements. The following are a few examples of prospects and potential breakthroughs linked to cellulose aerogels:
Eco-friendly insulation: A building’s thermal insulation is critical for reducing energy use and retaining an ideal indoor environment. Therefore, enhancing the thermal insulation properties of buildings is crucial, particularly by reducing losses of energy during heating and cooling applications, thus enabling energy savings. It is widely recognized that high-quality thermal insulation materials depend on various significant factors, including a reduced ability to conduct heat, renewability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. Within this context, the utilization of cellulose aerogel derived from biomass emerges as an attractive material that meets these criteria more effectively compared to conventional insulation materials [
236]. Bio-cellulose aerogels have a few impressive features that make them excellent as thermal insulation materials. These properties include lightweight [
237], high porosity [
238,
239], large surface to volume ratio [
240], low heat transfer [
241], low heat expansion [
242], high strength, elastic modulus [
243], flame retardancy [
244], sustainability [
245], and biocompatibility. These properties offer significant advantages in terms of providing long-term sustainable solutions for effective thermal insulation materials in newly developed applications [
236].
Restoration of the environment: As well as the major application of aerogel in thermal insulations in aviation and space and construction industries, it is also encouraging other applications such as the remediation of the environment, in the fields of materials and energy in which major requisite features. Among these applications, environmental remediation stands out as a prominent area of focus. The field of aerogel-based environmental remediation has matured considerably and encompasses various air and water treatment processes. Aerogels are used in air cleaning for CO
2 adsorption from the atmosphere along with the eliminating of pollutants of volatile organic compounds from industrial and municipal effluents. Furthermore, they play a crucial role in water treatment by adsorbing heavy metal particles, oil, and toxic organic substances, These pollutions are essential contributors to the environmental challenges faced by our world today, including global warming and threats to human health [
5]. There are many studies to describe how to make adsorbent such as a technique for expediting the production process and enhancing the quality of bio-based materials derived from paper waste, employing a Kymene cross-linker enhancing formation of gels rather than the alkali/urea dissolving agents and by drying lyophilization method. This mixed reclaimed fiber aerogel is highly hydrophobic and has a highly bending structure. According to their results, the maximum capacity o absorption is 95 gg
-1 at 50 °C with less than 1 wt% bio-based aerogel due to its min lower density (0.007g cm
-3) and max high porosity (99.4%)[
246]. Another research investigation centered on the development of lightweight and hydrophobic watermelon carbon aerogels (WCA), which exhibited remarkable selectivity in absorbing an extensive range of natural solvents and lubricants. These aerogels demonstrated a ultimate absorption limit ranging between 16 and 50 times of their own weight, and they were able to maintain their absorption and harvesting capabilities over five cycles [
247]. To extract the anionic and cationic heavy metallic impurities in water, protein-infused carbon aerogel derived from cellulose (carbogel) is synthesized. Following the successful use of aerogels in the capture of several risky agents like organic liquids, lubricants, and carbon dioxide, marked by their sponge-like structure and tri-dimensional framework have lately piqued the interest of researchers for their potential in the cost-effective capture of heavy metals in waste and effluent streams [
248]. The customization of gap measurement, pore range, specific face area and structure chemistry are key requirements that can be readily adjusted in aerogels to encounter the specific requirements of adsorption uses. A diverse range of synthetic, natural, and blended aerogels have been proposed for this objective [
249,
250,
251,
252,
253,
254].
Energy storage: As modern society and the global economy continue to advance rapidly, accompanied by a growing demographic-based consumption of exhaustible energy types like petroleum and methane has steadily risen. This has resulted in a pressing global challenge of depleting energy resources. Furthermore, the utilization of non-renewable resources unavoidably leads to environmental pollution [
255]. To minimize the environmental repercussions and address the depletion of energy resources, there is an urgent necessity to develop state-of-the-art, affordable, and ecologically sustainable energy storage solutions [
256]. Presently, two prominent energy storage technologies, namely supercapacitors and rechargeable batteries, have garnered significant attention as highly promising options [
257]. To produce high-performance electrochemical energy storage tools, electrochemical effective components are the main indicator [
258,
259]. To improve their electrochemical behavior, designing the porous framework with magnified precise area for surface exposure and adjustable pore dimensions are the necessity factors [
260,
261]. Likewise, in situations of batteries, a larger precise area for surface exposure and appropriately sized pores creates additional pathways for the migration of Li
+ ions, resulting in increased volume. Thus, it is crucial to improve novel methodologies and renewable resources that can accomplish a substantial specific surface dimension while effectively controlling the sizes and volumes of the pores [
262]. Because of the chemical and mechanical durability, superior resiliency, and porous framework of the bio-based aerogels and foams perform them excellent structure reinforcement component for energy storage devices [
255,
263]. In contrast to conventional metallic support substances, foam structures and aerogels composed of cellulose offer distinct advantages in terms of lower density, improved flexibility, and enhanced electrochemical performance. These materials possess water-friendly surfaces and numerous absorbent locations, which promote the absorption and transport of electrolyte ions. Additionally, their structured pore hierarchy provides ample space for efficient power conservation [
255,
264]. For this reason, foam structures and aerogels derived from cellulose have gained recognition as prospective and environmentally sustainable configurations for combining with various other active materials in the model and production of cutting-edge energy conservation equipment, including energy-storing capacitors and reusable cells [
240,
264].
Medical applications: The appealing candidacy of bio aerogels in biomedical applications stems from their essential features of biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxicity [
265,
266]. These bio aerogels, designed to mimic the extracellular matrices (ECM) found within the body, have facilitated various biomedical applications. Examples include drug delivery [
267,
268,
269], tissue engineering scaffolds [
270,
271,
272], antibacterial agents [
273,
274,
275,
276], biomedical devices [
122], biosensing platforms [
277,
278], and wound dressings [
173,
217,
278,
279].
Flexible electronic systems: Fibers and textiles play a significant role in various aspects of our daily lives. The incorporation of multi-functional elements into fabrics, particularly through utilized nanoparticle investigation and informatics, is an expanding field of study. These materials can adapt to environmental changes or respond towards external catalysts like mechanical, thermic, chemical, and magnetic effects [
280,
281,
282,
283,
284]. Portable electronic devices and intelligent fabrics evolved as new communication platforms with broad uses in industries as diverse as medical sector, professional uniforms, sports, power industry, and defense forces. [
286,
287,
288,
289,
290]. As a result, the development of compact and bendable wire-based electronic apparatus or fiber forms, as well as their incorporation into textile textiles, is gaining relevance [
290,
291]. Even though there are many studies on the aerogel regarding flexibility of systems, cellulose aerogels show highly promising and effective results [
292,
293,
293]. Such as the synthesis of holocellulose nanofibers/cellulose aerogel filaments using microscopic holocellulose fibers and a reformed cellulose structure from a water-based LiOH-urea solution. These holocellulose nanofibers/cellulose aerogel filaments present a novel procedure for wide-ranging scope, uninterrupted creation of eco-friendly, bendable, and durable aerogel strands with outstanding properties including expansive specific surface area and significant porosity", or "steady production of decomposable, flexible, and sturdy aerogel filaments with exclusive attributes like large surface area-to-volume ratio and pore structure. To achieve this, the group combined specific pulping conditions, which help preserve the hemicellulose content, with mechanical defibrillation techniques, resulting in the fabrication of holocellulose nanofibrils. These holocellulose nanofibers/cellulose aerogel filaments possess remarkable properties including a significant dimension ratio, uniform measurement, outstanding physical strength, and exceptional ability to disperse [
294,
295]. Yamada et al. has successfully created a bendable energy storage device by combining molybdenum electrical contacts, carbonaceous granules, and ionic fluid blends, alongside ionic gel conductive substances and bendable plant fiber dividers. This assembled device exhibits excellent cycling stability, ensuring its long-term performance [
296].
It is worth highlighting that investigation and progression efforts in the domain of bio-based aerogels are currently in progress, and these upcoming facets signify promising avenues for further investigation. Anticipated progress and revelations are poised to unlock new applications and advantages for cellulose aerogels soon.