Cyclodextrin-Based Aerogels: A Review of Nanomaterials Systems and Applications

Aerogels are a class of porous nanomaterial with prominent properties such as low density, high porosity, large specific surface area, and adjustable surface chemistry. It is a challenge to accurately control hierarchically porous structures of aerogels, efficiently make aerogels stimuli-responsive in the solid state, and fully endow them with desirable features. As unique macrocyclic compounds, cyclodextrins (CDs) could be employed as building blocks to produce aerogels with fascinating structures and composite functionalities due to their various advantages including being biodegradable, their intrinsic nanocavities, intriguing self-assembling properties, and host–guest interaction. Considering the arising development in the study of CDs-based aerogels, recent research progress in this field is summarized here. Initially, we will analyze different synthesis methods for the construction of CDs-based aerogels, such as a sol–gel process and a drying process. Furthermore, various types of CDs-based aerogels are analyzed and discussed briefly, including CDs-based polypseudorotaxanes /polyrotaxanes aerogels, CDs-based cross-linked aerogels, and CDs-based hybrid aerogels. Finally, the current applications of CDs-based aerogels in thermal insulation, adsorption of environmental pollutants, and electrochemical sensors are summarized in detail, and the future development trends of such hybrid materials are described to assist researchers to find opportunities in this field.