From 22 to 24 September 2026, the 8th International Seminar on Aerogels took place at Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), organised by Prof. Irina Smirnova and the Institute of Thermal Separation Processes. More than 140 participants from all over the world came together in Hamburg to discuss this fascinating class of materials.
The scientific programme included keynote lectures by Prof. Nadja Bigall, Prof. Zeljko Tomovic and Dr. Pavel Gurikov, as well as an industry session in which companies such as IBIH Advanced Materials, Keey Aerogel, aerogel-it and Uhde High Pressure Technologies showed how aerogels are being scaled up and brought into commercial use.
What started as a poster presentation by Kathrin Eckert unexpectedly turned into a talk, which gave her the opportunity to present recent studies and future plans on the application of stimuli responsive gels in SMART reactors within CRC 1615 SMART Reactors and to discuss the work with the community.
The seminar provided an opportunity for open exchange within the international aerogel community, which is looking forward to meeting again in 2028.
