Chapter 22. Nanocellulose-based Aerogels: Preparation, Properties and Applications

Aerogels are comprised of a distinct class of nanostructured materials with superior porosity and physicochemical properties that can be attuned and are composed of a clustered nanoparticle network. While a few types of aerogels have already entered the market in building products, fabrics, and aerospace engineering, their complete scope for other manufacturing industries needs to be measured. While they integrate the attributes of strongly separated solids with macroscopic morphology, they establish rather remarkable physical and chemical characteristics, thereby creating a new family of solids exhibiting versatile prospects for a wide variety of applications. The formulation choice of the aerogel is of paramount importance for inculcating innovative features to the content. Biobased aerogels, specifically nanocellulosic aerogels, are rather “smart” materials which provide fascinating properties at the interface of various materials. These natural resources are ample and affordable, rendering them economical and viable for aerogel preparation, while also tackling waste management concerns. Based on currently available knowledge, this chapter discusses key advances in the field of nanocellulose-based aerogels and foams. It mainly deals with different processing techniques, structure, morphology, analysing tools, inherent properties, and various applications of nanocellulosic aerogels.