Publication date: 15th December 2025
Nanoparticle-based aerogels are highly porous materials with a large surface area consisting of crystalline nanoparticles that are assembled into three-dimensional networks. They can be synthesized from a large variety of preformed nanoparticles by gelling the corresponding colloidal solutions. Due to their unique structural and physicochemical properties, aerogels have great potential as catalysts for light-driven gas-phase reactions, including hydrogen production, degradation of organic molecules, and CO2 reduction. However, in order to fully exploit this potential, their composition, microstructure, optical transparency, and macroscopic geometry must be precisely controlled so that they are optimized for the reaction to be catalyzed on the one hand, and meet the specific requirements of the photoreactor on the other hand, in particular ensuring efficient gas transport and uniform light penetration.
This presentation will discuss various methods for synthesizing metal oxide-based aerogels from preformed nanocrystals under different reaction conditions and in the presence of various co-catalysts. Strategies for tailoring their macroscopic morphology from monolithic architectures to spherical or worm-like granules to improve catalytic performance in light-driven gas-phase reactions will be highlighted. Recent advances in introducing chirality into these materials will also be presented.
We acknowledge ETH Zurich for financial support and the Scientific Center for Optical and Electron Microscopy (ScopeM) for providing access to electron microscopy facilities.
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