Macro- and microporous carbon monoliths with high surface areas pyrolyzed from poly(divinylbenzene) networks

Carbon monoliths with well-defined macropores and high surface areas were prepared by carbonization of macroporous poly(divinylbenzene) (PDVB) monoliths. The carbonization reactions of PDVB networks are studied by thermal analysis and FT-IR measurements. According to the measurement results, the PDVB networks are mostly pyrolyzed at 430 °C and their structures dynamically change to graphite-like structure between 600 and 700 °C. The macropore structure retained while the mesopores disappeared after carbonization. In addition, the surface area of the obtained carbons dramatically increased over 900 °C. The typical carbon monolith carbonized at 1000 °C for 2 h had a surface area of 1500 m2 g−1 and uniform macropores with a diameter of 1 μm

Fabrication of macroporous silicon carbide ceramics by intramolecular carbothermal reduction of phenyl-bridged polysilsesquioxane

Macroporous SiC ceramics were obtained from porous phenyl-bridged polysilsesquioxane prepared by a sol-gel method accompanied by spinodal decomposition subsequently subjected to intramolecular carbothermal reduction. By this method, we can obtain macroporous SiC ceramics with improved atomic-level homogeneity and controlled pore size more easily than by intermolecular carbothermal reduction using a mixture of SiO2 and carbon powder. Therefore, the resultant SiC ceramics have sufficiently high purity without washing with hydrofluoric acid to remove residual SiO 2

Facile preparation of transparent monolithic titania gels utilizing a chelating ligand and mineral salts

Highly homogeneous transparent titania gels have been successfully prepared from titanium alkoxide by a sol–gel method utilizing chelating agent, ethyl acetylacetate (EtAcAc), in the presence of strong acid anions. Only catalytic amount of a strong acid anion suppress the rapid hydrolysis of titanium alkoxide by blocking the nucleophilic attack of HO− and H2O, and the resultant moderate sol–gel reactions thus afford homogeneous gelation, leading to transparent monolithic titania gels. Gelation time can be widely controlled by changing amounts of water, chelating agent and salt. The ability of salts to suppress the too abrupt sol–gel reactions is strongly dependent on the electronegativity of anions and valence of cations. With employing NH4NO3 as a suppressing electrolyte, the obtained titania gels can be converted to pure TiO2 by simple washing and heat-treatment, and transformations to anatase and rutile structures were found to start at 400 and 600 °C, respectivel

In situ SAXS observation on metal-salt-derived alumina sol-gel system accompanied by phase separation.

The structure formation process of hierarchically porous alumina gels has been investigated by in situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The measurement was performed on the sol-gel solution containing aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl(3)·6H(2)O), poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), and propylene oxide (PO). The temporal divergence of scattering intensity in the low q regime was observed in the early stage of reaction, indicating that the occurrence of spinodal-decomposition-type phase separation. Detailed analysis of the SAXS profiles revealed that phase separation occurs between weakly branched polymerizing aluminum hydroxide (AH) and PEO. Further progress of the condensation reaction forms phase-separated two phases, that is, AH-rich phase and PEO-rich phase with the micrometer-range heterogeneity. The growth and aggregation of primary particles occurs in the phase-separated AH-rich domain, and therefore, the addition of PEO influences on the structure in nanometer regime as well as micrometer regime. The moderate stability of oligomeric species allows homogeneous condensation reaction parallel to phase separation and successful formation of hierarchically porous alumina gel

Transition from transparent aerogels to hierarchically porous monoliths in polymethylsilsesquioxane sol-gel system.

A transition from hierarchical pore structures (macro- and meso-pores) to uniform mesopores in monolithic polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ, CH(3)SiO(1.5)) gels has been investigated using a sol-gel system containing surfactant Pluronic F127. The precursor methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) undergoes an acid/base two-step reaction, in which hydrolysis and polycondensation proceed in acidic and basic aqueous media, respectively, as a one-pot reaction. Porous morphology is controlled by changing the concentration of F127. Sufficient concentrations of F127 inhibit the occurrence of micrometer-scale phase separation (spinodal decomposition) of hydrophobic PMSQ condensates and lead to well-defined mesoporous transparent aerogels with high specific pore volume as a result of the colloidal network formation in a large amount of solvent. Phase separation regulates well-defined macropores in the micrometer range on decreasing concentrations of F127. In the PMSQ-rich gelling domain formed by phase separation, the PMSQ colloidal network formation forms mesopores, leading to monolithic PMSQ gels with hierarchical macro- and meso-pore structures. Mesopores in these gels do not collapse on evaporative drying owing to the flexible networks and repulsive interactions of methyl groups in PMSQ

Monolithic electrode for electric double-layer capacitors based on macro/meso/microporous S-Containing activated carbon with high surface area

Macro/meso/microporous carbon monoliths doped with sulfur have been prepared from sulfonated poly(divinylbenzene) networks followed by the activation with CO_2 resulted in the activated carbon monoliths with high surface area of 2400 m^2 g^[−1]. The monolithic electrode of the activated carbon shows remarkably high specific capacitance (175 F g^[−1] at 5 mV_s^[−1] and 206F_g^[−1] at 0.5 Ag^[−1])