A Highly Compressible, Elastic, and Air‐Dryable Metallic Aerogels via Magnetic Field‐Assisted Synthesis

Abstract

Abstract Metallic aerogels emerge as a group of materials for various applications since they exhibit the merits of both metal and aerogel. However, their performance characteristics are largely depreciated by the poor compressibility, elasticity, and complicated preparation process. Herein, a highly compressible and air‐dryable nickel nanowire aerogel (NNWA) is prepared via a facile magnetic‐field‐assisted gelation strategy. Its unique anisotropic lamellar structure and abundant cold‐welded junctions of intertwined nanowires enable superior electric conductivity and compression fatigue resistance. Such a free‐standing NNWA featured with ultralow density (20 mg cm −3 ) can be directly used as electrode scaffolds for energy storage and electrocatalysis purposes even at high mass loading (e.g., 10 mg cm −2 ) and large current density (e.g., 1 A cm −2 ) with superior performance. This method represents a general strategy for producing metallic aerogels with excellent comprehensive performance and mass‐production capability, providing a versatile platform for advanced applications.