Emerging trend of carbon aerogel synthesis for biomedical applications

Aerogels are intriguing materials with a wide range of potential applications, from medicine to construction. They can be classified into inorganic, organic, carbon, and biopolymer types, and their properties can be enhanced by incorporating advanced materials and nanofillers. Among these, carbon aerogels are distinguished by their unique solid-state architecture, featuring three-dimensional (3D) interconnected networks permeated with air-filled nanopores. These nanopores greatly enhance the structural characteristics at the macroscopic level, merging the inherent qualities of aerogels, such as low density and high porosity, with the unique attributes of their constituent materials. These features make carbon aerogels highly suitable for specialized biomedical applications. This review emphasizes and examines the recent advancements in the preparation of carbon aerogels and their biomedical applications. It concentrates on the development of aerogels through characterization studies of carbon aerogels and concludes with an analysis of the potential and challenges in creating sustainable materials for biomedical use.