Silica aerogel is a kind of nano porous material with high porosity,low density and low thermal conductivity,which is widely used in thermal insulation,environmental purification,life medicine and other fields.This paper compares and analyzes the performance differences of different silicon source based aerogels,as well as the methods to improve the mechanical properties of silica,such as fiber and polymer reinforced silica aerogels and the preparation of flexible silica aerogels,introduces its application in different fields,and prospects its future development trend.