Aerogels as promising materials for antibacterial applications: A mini-review

Growing bacterial infections originated from resistant bacteria is a serious problem globally and many approaches have been developed for different purposes to treat bacterial infections. Aerogels are a novel class of smart porous materials composed of three-dimensional networks. Recently, aerogels with the advantages of ultra-low density, high porosity, tunable particle and pore size, and biocompatibility have been regarded as promising carriers for the design of delivery systems. Recently, aerogels have also been provided with antibacterial activity through loading antibacterial agents, metal/metal oxides and via surface functionalization and coating with various functional groups. In this mini-review, the synthesis of aerogels from both conventional and low-cost precursors is reported and examples of aerogels displaying antibacterial properties are summarized. As a result, it is clear that the encouraging antibacterial performances of aerogels promote their use in many antibacterial applications, especially in food industry, pharmaceutics and medicine.