Data-Driven Review on Aerogels and Polymeric Aerogels

A thoroughly data-driven review on the chemistry, properties, and applications of aerogels is provided. Aerogel is a category of solid materials having homogeneous, highly porous nanostructures. Unique physicochemical properties of aerogels have attracted much attention in wide fields due to their potentials for energy/environmental issues in the 21st century, while an exponentially increasing number of papers are causing an academic fever and unreliable data issues. Statistical analysis based on an exhaustive literature survey from almost all the papers with "aerogel" in their titles reveals a flood of freeze-dried aerogels mainly consisting of organic polymers and organic-inorganic composites. Process-property data from polymer aerogel papers are analyzed by a machine-learning approach aiming to establish data infrastructure toward future aerogel studies. Data-evidenced critical discussion specifies a tendency in unreliable thermal conductivity data of these papers.