Development of SiO₂/C and SiC/C Composites Featuring Aerogel Structures

C/SiO₂ and C/SiC composites featuring the structures of aerogels possess diverse structural characteristics. Due to their unique properties, such as porosity, low density and high temperature resistance, C/SiO₂ and C/SiC composites can be widely applied in the fields including high temperature thermal insulation, absorption, catalysis, hydrogen storage, and photoelectricity. In this paper, an overview of the literature is presented on C/SiO₂ and C/SiC composites featuring aerogel structures. According to the introducing methods of silicon and carbon sources, these composites can usually be synthesized by three methods: co-polymerization, impregnation and polymeric precursor pyrolysis. The technological characteristics of the three methods are discussed in accordance with relative existence between carbon and silica. Meanwhile, the characteristics of microstructures, crosslinking mechanisms and the physical properties are analyzed. Some researchful proposals for further developments are proposed. In our opinions, the diverse methods of compositing carbon and silicon result in various characteristics and properties of C/SiO₂ and C/SiC composites, which expands relevant research fields.