Recent progress in mechano-thermal co-design of elastic ceramic aerogels for extreme-environment applications

Ceramic aerogels are a class of solids with porosity exceeding 90%, characterized by ultralow density and ultralow thermal conductivity, demonstrating significant application potential in aerospace thermal protection, deep-space exploration, and civilian fields. Traditional ceramic aerogels, composed of ceramic nanoparticles interconnected via necking structures, suffer from intrinsic brittleness and poor high-temperature structural stability. To overcome these challenges, a paradigm shift from 0D nanoparticle networks to 1D nanowire/nanofiber architectures has emerged, enabling unprecedented mechanical resilience while preserving thermal functionality. This review systematically examines the state-of-the-art strategies for the mechano-thermal co-design of ceramic nanowire aerogels, with an emphasis on simultaneously optimizing mechanical robustness, thermal insulation, and high-temperature stability. For mechanical performance, the deformation mechanisms and architectural design principles of ceramic nanowire aerogels are critically analyzed. For thermal performance and its synergy with mechanics, strategies for coordinating thermal insulation and mechanical resilience under extreme temperatures are summarized. By focusing on the integrated design of mechanical strength, thermal insulation, and high-temperature tolerance, this review establishes design frameworks for ceramic aerogels with synergistically optimized thermo-mechanical performance.