Abstract: Aerogel is a new type of nanoporous lightweight solid material with excellent thermal insulation and adsorption properties, which shows a wide range of application prospects in many fields of national economy. In this paper, the heat insulation mechanism and adsorption mechanism of aerogel are briefly describes. Then the research progress of the application of aerogel in the field of fire prevention and fire extinguishing in recent years is reviewed from three aspects: fireproof and heat preservation materials, fireproof and thermal insulation materials, and aerogel fire extinguishing agents. It also pointed out the problems of aerogel application in fire prevention and extinguishing, such as high preparation cost, large amount of organic solvent and poor mechanical properties, etc., and made an outlook on the future development direction of aerogel application research in fire prevention and extinguishing.

Key words: aerogel, fireproof and thermal insulation materials, aerogel fire protection coating, aerogel fire extinguishing agent, aerogel firefighting suits