Silica aerogels have been successfully synthesized using cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as template. This study provides a novel approach to synthesize silica aerogels. The molar ratio of surfactant mixture was CTAB/SDS = 1.00. The obtained silica aerogels exhibit very low apparent density (0.044 g cm(-3)) and high specific surface area (856 m(2) g(-1)). Surfactant packing parameter theory is used to explain the possible formation mechanism of the silica aerogels using mixed surfactant template. In addition, the adsorption capacity of Rhodamine B on the as-synthesized silica aerogels is as higher as that on the commercial silica aerogels. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.