MOF and derived materials as aerogels: Structure, property, and performance relations

Among the multifunctional smart lightweight materials, there is an uprising demand of metal organic framework (MOF) based aerogels because of their hierarchically porous tunable structures constituting various combinations of structural motifs tailor made for diverse applications including removals of heavy metals, dyes, and organic contaminants; CO2 capture and reduction; photodegradation and removal of pollutants; oil-water separation; absorber of electromagnetic radiation; real time monitoring sensor; capacitor; electrode materials of battery; airborne water supply; and air clean up. Indeed, compared to pure MOFs or pure aerogels, the enhanced structural diversity, stability, textural properties, and application prospects of MOF aerogels and metal organic aerogels are contributed by hierarchically porous tunable structures dependent on the methods of synthesis and drying. Nowadays, researchers are continuously engaged in developing the newer strategies to exploit the performance potential and application prospects of these tailor made heterogeneous materials both in the biomedical and non-biomedical sectors. Accordingly, in the present review, recent developments, unique set of structures, characterizations, properties, diverse applications, and structure-property-performance interrelationships of these high-performance state-of-the-art heterogeneous materials have been chronologically discussed and presented starting from its discovery in 2009.