Ultralow density aerogel is a kind of porous solid material with super lightweight property which has a higher porosity and more diversified surface properties than common aerogel. The unique physical and chemical characteristics make ultralow density aerogel a new nano-porous material to be applied in many new research fields. Recently, it is a research focus of the aerogel field to preserve the highly developed three dimensional pore structure in the fabrication process of the ultralow density aerogel, and make its unique characteristics to be functioned in practical applications. In this review, according to the main types of the ultralow density aerogel, the up to date research progress of its preparation technologies is introduced. Moreover, the application modes and functional characteristics of the ultralow density aerogel in the fields of space exploration, fire and heat resistantance, energy storage, adsorption, catalysis and sensing are discussed. By discussing the existing problems of the current research, perspectives of the ultralow density aerogel, such as breaking through the ambient drying method, carrying out the fabrication of composite aerogel or ultralow density aerogel with controlled structure, systematic studying the influence of the super lightweight property on specific functions are also presented.

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