Reactions of chloromethyltrimethoxysilane (CMTMS) and its derived colloidal network polychloromethylsilsesquioxane (PCMSQ) have been investigated to extend the material design strategy toward functionalized and mechanically reinforced aerogels. In a carefully designed sol–gel system, CMTMS has afforded transparent aerogels in the presence of cationic surfactant. The surface chloromethyl groups with polarity and reactivity are shown to be useful for supporting nanostructures, with photoluminescent carbon dots (C-dots) prepared from polyethylenimine and citric acid as an example. Furthermore, since nucleophilic substitution (SN2) reactions on the surface chloromethyl groups are found to control the equilibrium of formation/dissociation of siloxane bonds, a new gelation strategy triggered by SN2 reactions in sol–gel has been developed. In the presence of nucleophilic organic species such as polyamines, a hybrid network consisting of PCMSQ cross-linked with a polyamine nucleophile can be prepared to enhance mechanical properties of aerogel.

•Polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels were prepared by a surfactant-free method.•Cationic-functionalized alkoxysilane was copolymerized instead of adding a surfactant.•The obtained aerogels were transparent and showed high insulation properties.Phase separation control is an important factor to prepare a porous monolith by an aqueous sol–gel reaction. Here, we report a surfactant-free synthesis method to obtain hydrophobic polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels by copolymerizing a cationic-functionalized alkoxysilane N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N,N,N-trimethylammonium chloride. The resultant materials have low-density, high visible-light transmittance, and high thermal insulating equivalent to those of prepared under the presence of surfactant.

Low-density, transparent aerogels based on a hexylene-bridged polysilsesquioxane ([O1.5Si–(CH2)6–SiO1.5]n) network have been prepared for the first time via a simple sol–gel process. An optimized base-catalyzed one-step hydrolysis–polycondensation process of a bridged alkoxysilane precursor 1,6-bis(trimethoxysilyl)hexane in a low-polarity solvent N,N-dimethylformamide allows for the formation of a pore structure of a length scale of several tens nanometers, resulting in low-density, transparent aerogels after supercritical drying. Because of the incorporated organic moiety that bridges the silicon atoms in the network, these aerogels show higher flexibility and strength against compression and bending as compared to silica aerogel counterparts. In addition, minimizing the residual silanol groups in the network by a surface modification with hexamethyldisilazane has further improved resilience after compression and bending flexibility and strength, due to the decreased chance of the irreversible formation of the siloxane bonds upon compression. The resulting trimethylsilylated hydrophobic gels have been subjected to ambient pressure drying to obtain xerogels, resulting in low-density (0.13 g cm−3, 90 % porosity), transparent (71 % transmittance) xerogels. These results are promising for the development of transparent thermal superinsulators applicable to window insulating systems that manage heat transfer in a more efficient way.

Systematic investigations on the effect of synthetic conditions onto the properties of polyvinylsilsesquioxane (CH2=CHSiO3/2) aerogels have been conducted. As previously reported, transparent polyvinylsilsesquioxane aerogels can be obtained by utilizing a liquid surfactant as a solvent and a two-step sol–gel reaction involving hydrolysis catalyzed by a strong acid and subsequent polycondensation by a strong base. In this study, effects of base catalyst, gelation and aging conditions, amount of surfactant and concentration of acid catalyst have been investigated. With the optimized synthetic condition, the value of light transmittance reaches as high as 70% (at the wavelength of 550 nm for a 10-mm thick sample). Applicability of addition reactions utilizing thiol-ene reactions and hydrosilylation has also been surveyed. Thiol-ene reactions are relatively effective and can modify surface hydrophobicity and mechanical properties of polyvinylsilsesquioxane aerogels. In the case of hydrosilylation, a partial addition of a hydrosilane compound onto the polyvinylsilsesquioxane gel surface can be observed. Addition reactions, in particular thiol-ene reactions, are found to be profitable for implementing chemical functionality on the transparent aerogels.Open image in new window

Silica aerogels are unique porous materials possessing high visible-light transparency and low thermal conductivity. However, the practical applications are limited due to the native fragility of silica, and a lot of research focuses on the improvement of mechanical properties by organic–inorganic hybridization, and so forth. Here, the first synthesis of polyethylsilsesquioxane (PESQ; CH3CH2SiO1.5) and polyvinylsilsesquioxane (PVSQ; CH2═CHSiO1.5) aerogels is reported. The resultant PESQ and PVSQ aerogels obtained through a two-step acid–base sol–gel reaction in a surfactant-based solution exhibit visible-light transmittance and flexibility against compression without collapsing. The microstructural variations of these aerogels are systematically investigated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) in order to clarify the differences in properties derived from substituent groups. Furthermore, a post cure on the PVSQ wet gel using a radical initiator induces polymerization of vinyl groups in the solid network, resulting in mechanically reinforced aerogels with higher compressive modulus and resilience. This chemical modification, similar to vulcanization in silicone rubber materials, helps to produce xerogels with comparable properties to those of aerogels via ambient pressure drying. Since the resultant xerogel obtained from the vulcanization of PVSQ shows sufficiently low thermal conductivity of 15.3 mW m–1 K–1, these novel polysilsesquioxane materials are promising for transparent aerogels/xerogels superinsulators.

•Drying process of wet gels of polymethylsilsesquioxane is studied in detail.•Spring-back behavior during drying is for the first time investigated.•Extended aging in a solution containing precursor-derived species prevents cracking.•Resultant crack-free xerogels show sufficiently low thermal conductivity.Ambient pressure drying of polymethylsilsesquioxane gels via dynamic shrinkage-reexpansion has been investigated for preparation of aerogel-like xerogels and their application to thermal superinsulators. An extended aging of wet gels in aqueous solution containing precursor-derived species is found to be crucial in obtaining crack-free, monolithic xerogels with sufficiently low thermal conductivity (13.7 mW m− 1 K− 1) at bulk density of 0.140 g cm− 3 (porosity ~ 90%).

Transparent, monolithic aerogels with nanosized colloidal skeletons have been obtained from a single precursor of 1,2-bis(methyldiethoxysilyl)ethane (BMDEE) by adopting a liquid surfactant and a two-step process involving strong-acid, followed by strong-base, sol–gel reactions. This precursor BMDEE forms the ethylene-bridged polymethylsiloxane (EBPMS, O2/2(CH3)Si–CH2CH2–Si(CH3)O2/2) network, in which each silicon has one methyl, two bridging oxygens, and one bridging ethylene, exhibiting an analogous structure to that of the previously reported polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ, CH3SiO3/2) aerogels having one methyl and three bridging oxygen atoms. Obtained aerogels consist of fine colloidal skeletons and show high visible-light transparency and a flexible deformation behavior against compression without collapse. Similar to the PMSQ aerogels, a careful tuning of synthetic conditions can produce low-density (0.19 g cm–3) and highly transparent (76% at 550 nm, corresponding to 10 mm thick samples) xerogels via ambient pressure drying by solvent evaporation due to their high strength and resilience against compression. Moreover, EBPMS aerogels exhibit higher bending strength and bending strain at break against the three-point bending mode compared to PMSQ aerogels. This improved bendability is presumably derived from the introduced ethylene-bridging parts, suggesting the potential for realizing transparent and bendable aerogels in such polysiloxane materials with organic linking units.

The synthesis of highly crystalline macro-meso-microporous monolithic Cu3(btc)2 (HKUST-1; btc3− = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) is demonstrated by direct conversion of Cu(OH)2-based monoliths while preserving the characteristic macroporous structure. The high mechanical strength of the monoliths is promising for possible applications to continuous flow reactors.

Hierarchically porous monolithic materials are advantageous as adsorbents, catalysts and catalyst supports due to the better accessibility of reactants to the active sites and the ease of recycle and reuse. Traditional synthetic routes, however, have limitations in designing hierarchical porosity as well as the mechanically stable monolithic shape in inorganic phosphate materials, which are useful as adsorbents and catalysts. We present a low-temperature, one-step liquid phase synthesis of hierarchically porous zirconium phosphate (ZrP) monoliths with tunable compositions (from Zr(HPO4)2 (Zr:P = 1:2) to NaSICON (Na super ionic conductor)-type ZrP (Zr:P = 1:1.5)) as well as macropore size (from 0.5 to 5 μm). The as-synthesized ZrP monolith with a high reactive surface area (600 m2 g−1) and relatively high mechanical strength (Young's modulus 320 MPa) was applied to ion adsorption. A simple syringe device inserted tightly with the ZrP monolith as a continuous flow setup was demonstrated to remove various toxic metal ions in aqueous solutions, which shows promising results for water purification.

Supported metal alloy nanoparticles demonstrate high potential in designing heterogeneous catalysts for organic syntheses, pollution control and fuel cells. However, requirements of high temperature and multistep processes remain standing problems in traditional synthetic strategies. We herein present a low-temperature, single-step, liquid-phase methodology for designing monolith-supported metal alloy nanoparticles with high physicochemical stability and accessibility. Metal ions in aqueous solutions are reduced to form their corresponding metal alloy nanoparticles within hierarchically porous hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ, HSiO1.5) monoliths bearing well-defined macro- and mesopores and exhibiting high surface redox activity due to the presence of abundant Si–H groups. Supported bi-, tri- and tetrametallic nanoparticles have been synthesized with controlled compositions and loadings, and characterized in detail by microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. Examination of these supported metal alloy nanoparticles in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol shows high catalytic activities depending on their compositions. Their recyclability and potential application in continuous flow reactors are also demonstrated.

High-performance thermal insulating materials are desired especially from the viewpoint of saving energy for a sustainable society. Aerogel is the long-awaited material for extended applications due to its excellent thermal insulating ability. These materials are, however, seriously fragile against even small mechanical stress due to their low density, and their poor mechanical properties inhibit their practical use as superinsulators. In this paper, we report relationships between the thermal conductivity, pore size and mechanical properties of organic–inorganic hybrid polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels with improved mechanical properties and controllable pore sizes from ∼50 nm to 3 μm. The dependency of thermal conductivity on gas pressure and pore properties can be well explained by the thermal conduction theory of porous materials. These PMSQ aerogels show improved mechanical properties due to their elastic networks, which enable easier handling compared to conventional aerogels and facile production by simple ambient pressure drying. An aerogel-like “xerogel” monolithic panel has been successfully prepared via ambient pressure drying, which shows a low thermal conductivity (0.015 W m−1 K−1) comparable with those of the corresponding PMSQ aerogel and conventional silica aerogels. These results would open the gate for practical applications of these porous materials.

Polymethylsilsesquioxane–cellulose nanofiber (PMSQ-CNF) composite aerogels have been prepared through sol-gel in a solvent containing a small amount of CNFs as suspension. Since these composite aerogels do not show excessive aggregation of PMSQ and CNF, the original PMSQ networks are not disturbed. Composite aerogels with low density (0.020 g cm–3 at lowest), low thermal conductivity (15 mW m–1 K–1), visible light translucency, bending flexibility, and superhydrophobicity thus have been successfully obtained. In particular, the lowest density and bending flexibility have been achieved with the aid of the physical supporting effect of CNFs, and the lowest thermal conductivity is comparable with the original PMSQ aerogels and standard silica aerogels. The PMSQ-CNF composite aerogels would be a candidate to practical high-performance thermal insulating materials.Keywords: cellulose nanofibers; composite aerogels; organic-inorganic hybrids; polymethylsilsesquioxane; sol-gel; thermal insulation;

In this report, we demonstrate a novel synthesis method to obtain reduced titanium oxides with monolithic shape and with a well-defined hierarchically porous structure from the titanium-based network bridged with ethylenediamine. The hierarchically porous monoliths are fabricated by the nonhydrolytic sol–gel reaction accompanied by phase separation. This method allows a low-temperature crystallization into Ti4O7 and Ti3O5 at 800 and 900 °C, respectively, with N-doped carbon. These reduced titanium oxides are well-doped with N atoms even under argon atmosphere without NH3, which accounts for the low-temperature reduction. The resultant monolithic materials possess controllable macropores and high specific surface area together with excellent electric conductivity up to 230 S cm–1, indicating promise as a conductive substrate that can substitute carbon electrodes.Keywords: catalysis; electrodes; hierarchical structures; hybrid materials; titanium dioxide;

Our recent progress in porous materials based on organic–inorganic hybrids, organic crosslinked polymers, and carbons is summarized. Flexible aerogels and aerogel-like xerogels with the polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) composition are obtained using methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as the sole precursor. Preparation process and the flexible mechanical properties of these aerogels/xerogels are overviewed. As the derivative materials, hierarchically macro- and mesoporous PMSQ monoliths and marshmallow-like soft and bendable porous monoliths prepared from dimethyldimethoxysilane /MTMS co-precursors have been obtained. Organic crosslinked polymer monoliths with well-defined macropores are also tailored using gelling systems of vinyl monomers under controlled/living radical polymerization. The obtained polymer monoliths are carbonized and activated into activated carbon monoliths with well-defined pore properties. The activated carbon monoliths exhibit good electrochemical properties as the monolithic electrode. Some possibilities of applications for these porous materials are also discussed.

Synthesis of class II hybrid silica materials requires the formation of covalent linkage between organic moieties and inorganic frameworks. The requirement that organosilylating agents be present to provide the organic part limits the synthesis of functional inorganic oxides, however, due to the water sensitivity and challenges concerning purification of the silylating agents. Synthesis of hybrid materials with stable molecules such as simple alcohols, rather than with these difficult silylating agents, may therefore provide a path to unprecedented functionality. Herein, we report the novel functionalization of silica with organic alcohols for the first time. Instead of using hydrolyzable organosilylating agents, we used stable organic alcohols with a Zn(II) catalyst to modify the surface of a recently discovered highly reactive macro-mesoporous hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ, HSiO1.5) monolith, which was then treated with water with the catalyst to form surface-functionalized silica. These materials were comprehensively characterized with FT-IR, Raman, solid-state NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy, thermal analysis, elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements. The results obtained from these measurements reveal facile immobilization of organic moieties by dehydrogenative addition onto surface silane (Si–H) at room temperature with high loading and good tolerance of functional groups. The organic moieties can also be retrieved from the monoliths for recycling and reuse, which enables cost-effective and ecological use of the introduced catalytic/reactive surface functionality. Preservation of the reactivity of as-immobilized organic alcohols has been confirmed, moreover, by successfully performing copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) “click” reactions on the immobilized silica surfaces.

Macroporous polymer monoliths based on poly(styrene-co-divinylbenzene) with varied styrene/divinylbenzene ratios have been prepared by organotellurium-mediated living radical polymerization. The well-defined cocontinuous macroporous structure can be obtained by polymerization-induced spinodal decomposition, and the pore structures are controlled by adjusting the starting composition. The separation efficiency of small molecules (alkylbenzenes) in the obtained monoliths has been evaluated in the capillary format by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under the isocratic reversed-phase mode. Baseline separations of these molecules with a low pressure drop (∼2 MPa) have been achieved because of the well-defined macropores and to the less-heterogeneous cross-linked networks.Keywords: capillary columns; co-continuous macroporous structure; controlled/living radical polymerization; HPLC separation media; polymer monoliths; separation of small molecules;

Structure and physical properties of monolithic polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ, CH3SiO1.5) aerogels have been systematically examined with varied starting compositions using a sol–gel system containing surfactant n-hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). The precursor methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) undergoes hydrolysis and polycondensation under an acid–base two-step reaction to obtain uniform gels as a one-pot reaction. To compare the samples, each factor of starting composition, such as amount of CTAC, concentration of aqueous acetic acid solution, volume of solvent and amount of urea, is independently varied. With appropriate concentrations of surfactant CTAC, the aerogels with high light transmittance (at 550 nm) are obtained, owing to the effective suppression of macroscopic phase separation. Acid–base catalysts, acetic acid and urea also impose significant effects on the properties of obtained aerogels including their molecular-level structures. The aerogel with 91% of light transmittance was obtained under an optimized condition. The lowest density of the PMSQ aerogel in this system reaches 0.045 g cm−3.Graphical abstractHighlights► One-pot sol–gel synthesis of transparent polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels is studied. ► Effects of starting compositions on the properties of aerogels are investigated. ► Surfactant suppresses phase separation of hydrophobic networks. ► Rapid pH increase during polycondensation increases the homogeneity of networks. ► The lowest density reaches 0.045 g cm−3 (97% porosity).

Hierarchically porous carbon monoliths with high specific surface area have been prepared via a nano-phase extraction technique from carbon/silica composites which had been prepared from arylene-bridged polysilsesquioxanes. The nano-sized silica phase developed in the composite has been removed to increase micropores, resulting in a similar effect to thermal activation of carbons. The resultant carbons are expected to possess homogeneously distributed micropores. Here we report the changes of the pore characteristics through the synthesis process by the nitrogen adsorption–desorption method and mercury porosimetry. In particular, the growth of silica phase in carbon/silica composites at different temperatures has been characterized by the micropore analysis using the Horváth-Kawazoe method.Graphical abstractHighlights► Macroporous carbon/silica monoliths were obtained from bridged polysilsesquioxanes. ► “Nano-phase extraction” of silica phase increased microporosity in the carbons. ► Microporosity of these carbons have been investigated by adsorption measurements. ► Relationship between carbonization conditions and micropore characters are discussed.

Transparent and low-density methylsilsesquioxane (MSQ, CH3SiO1.5) aerogels can be obtained solely from methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) by a one-pot two-step process under the co-presence of surfactant. In the present study, we have systematically investigated the effects of the molecular structure of triblock copolymer-type nonionic surfactants PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO (PEO and PPO denote poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide) units, respectively) on the properties of the resultant MSQ aerogels. Macroscopic phase separation of hydrophobic MSQ networks from polar solvent occurs when no surfactant is employed, which results in macroporous opaque aerogels. In contrast, a co-presence of appropriate surfactant effectively suppresses the phase separation and yields transparent aerogels after supercritical drying. By employing various surfactants having different molecular weight and PO/EO ratio, the mechanism of suppression of phase separation or pore formation is discussed in detail. In situ1H NMR suggests that the PO units of surfactant interact with the hydrophobic MSQ network enriched with methyl groups and make the MSQ network hydrophilic by extending EO chains toward the aqueous solvent in the late phase of gelation, until which hydrogen bonding dominates between the Si-OH groups of polymerizing MSQ and the ether oxygens of the EO unit. Through the comprehensive understanding of the role of surfactant, the strategy for rational design of MSQ aerogels materials has become developable.

Porous polysilsesquioxane gels derived from sol–gel systems based on trifunctional silanes are reviewed. Although it is well known that trifunctional silanes possess inherent difficulties in forming homogeneous gels, increasing attention is being paid on these precursors and resultant porous polysilsesquioxanes because of hydrophobicity, functionality, and versatile mechanical properties. Much effort has been made to overcome the difficulties for homogeneous gelation, and a number of excellent porous materials with various pore properties have been explored. In this critical review, we put special emphasis on the formation of a well-defined macroporous structure by making use of phase separation, which in turn is a serious problem in obtaining homogeneous gels though. Porous polysilsesquioxane monoliths with the hierarchical structure and transparent aerogels with high mechanical durability are particularly highlighted (169 references).

We report new flexible “marshmallow-like” aerogels and xerogels with a bendable feature from the methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS) co-precursor systems. A 2-step acid/base sol–gel process and surfactant are employed to control the phase separation of the hydrophobic networks, which give porous monolithic gels. The obtained gels become softer and more flexible with increasing DMDMS fractions.

Macro/meso/microporous carbon monoliths doped with sulfur have been prepared from sulfonated poly(divinylbenzene) networks followed by the activation with CO2 resulted in the activated carbon monoliths with high surface area of 2400 m2 g−1. The monolithic electrode of the activated carbon shows remarkably high specific capacitance (175 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1 and 206 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1).

Rigid methacrylate-based polymer monoliths with well-defined macropores have been synthesized from glycerol 1,3-dimethacrylate (GDMA) and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (Trim) by organotellurium-mediated living radical polymerization. In each system, poly(ethylene oxide) induced spinodal decomposition with the progress of polymerization of GDMA or Trim. Well-defined macroporous structure can be tailored by fixing the bicontinuous structure by the sol–gel transition. Both polymer monoliths possessed macropores with narrow size distributions and the macropore size can be controlled simply by varying the amount of poly(ethylene oxide). Starting from GDMA, polymer monoliths with unimodal macropores can be obtained due to the collapse of micro- and mesopores, which were originally embedded in macropore skeletons, by large shrinkage during drying. In contrast, starting from Trim, the obtained polymer monoliths include not only macropores but also micro- and mesopores, which lead to high specific surface area (470 m2 g−1), owing to the higher crosslinking density.

Macroporous polysilsesquioxane monoliths have been synthesized from biphenylene-bridged alkoxysilane via the sol−gel transition and concurrent phase separation both induced by the polycondensation reaction. The obtained polysilsesquioxane gels have been subsequently converted to macroporous SiC/C composites by the carbothermal reduction. The SiC/C monoliths thus obtained involve no visible cracks and their porosity reaches as high as >90%. In addition, according to the nitrogen adsorption−desorption measurement results, the micro- and mesopore characteristics of the samples did not undergo a significant change during the carbothermal reduction and the SiC/C composites have large specific surface areas owing to the microporous carbons in the skeletons. These composites therefore are more suitable for the applications to gas storage and catalyst supports compared to pure SiC.

Hierarchically porous carbon monoliths with high specific surface areas have been fabricated by removing nano-sized silica phase from carbon/silica composites pyrolyzed from bridged polysilsesquioxane. This activation method improves the homogeneity between inner and outer parts of the monoliths compared to the conventional thermal activation methods.

Poly(divinylbenzene) (PDVB) monoliths with well-defined macropores that have been sulfonated and carbonized to obtain macroporous carbon monoliths. The original macroporous PDVB networks have been synthesized by living radical polymerization accompanied by spinodal decomposition. Sulfonation prevents polymer networks from large shrinkage and weight loss during carbonization by heat-treatment in an inert atmosphere. In the case of PDVB gels sulfonated at 120 °C using conc. H2SO4, mesopores in the original skeletons as well as macropores are retained after carbonization. The obtained carbon monoliths are subsequently activated by CO2, which resulted in activated carbons. The specific surface area of the obtained activated carbons reaches up to 2360 m2 g−1.

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, respectively.

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 SiO2.

Spinodal decomposition in siloxane sol-gel systems has been investigated in a macroporous silica mould (pore diameter D = 2.74 µm) with a bicontinuous structure. Methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) have been employed as siloxane gel sources and as-sintered hydrophilic and octadecylsilylated hydrophobic macroporous silica were used as the confining moulds. In an MTMS-formamide system with a longer phase separation time and higher viscosity, the phase-separated gels in both moulds exhibited a similar morphology when the bulk correlation length Λ, i.e. spinodal wavelength in a free volume, was enough shorter than D. As Λ was made longer by altering the starting composition, a wetting transition occurred in both the hydrophilic and hydrophobic moulds. In an MTMS-methanol system with a shorter phase separation time and lower viscosity, the wetting transition unexpectedly occurred when Λ was much shorter than D in the hydrophobic mould. In TMOS-formamide system, fine and disordered structure has formed in the hydrophilic mould and never exhibited the wetting transition. A hydrodynamic wetting transition in each system was considered to occur when the ratio D/Λ becomes smaller than unity, whereas a diffusive wetting transition takes place in the early stage of spinodal decomposition in the case where the chemical affinity between siloxane gel and the mould is high. Additionally, when the initial wavelength of spinodal decomposition is shorter than D, spinodal decomposition is highly suppressed due to the presence of the random surfaces of macropores. These effects may interplay depending on the physical and chemical nature of the sol-gel systems and the moulds.

Macroporous cross-linked polymeric dried gels have been obtained by inducing phase separation in a homogeneous poly(divinylbenzene) (PDVB) network formed by organotellurium-mediated living radical polymerization (TERP). The living polymerization reaction of DVB with the coexistence of a nonreactive polymeric agent, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), in solvent 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) resulted in polymerization-induced phase separation (spinodal decomposition), and the transient structure of spinodal decomposition has been frozen by gelation. Well-defined macroporous monolithic dried gels with bicontinuous structure in the micrometer scale are obtained after removing PDMS and TMB by simple washing and drying. Inside the skeletons that comprise the macroporous structure, “skeletal pores” with various sizes in nanometer scale have also been found by gas sorption measurements. The skeletal pores are deduced to be formed by secondary phase separation in the skeletons due to the thermodynamic instability that arises in the separated phases during the polymerization. The properties of the macropores and the skeletal pores have been controlled by changing starting composition, molecular weight of PDMS, and reaction temperature.

Macroporous cross-linked organic polymer monoliths with well-defined bicontinuous structure have been synthesized from 1,3-glycerol dimethacrylate (GDMA) in a solvent utilizing atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). With the addition of an adequate polymeric agent, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), spinodal decomposition was induced in the course of polymerization of GDMA. A homogeneous gelation by ATRP solidified the temporal biphasic morphology of spinodal decomposition, resulting in well-defined macroporous gels after drying. Macroporous dried gels obtained in this way comprise interconnected skeletons and macropores, which is characteristic for spinodal decomposition. Macropore size and volume were controlled simply by altering the starting composition. The mechanism of spinodal decomposition is deduced that the separation takes place between polymerizing GDMA and PEO, but FTIR and thermal analyses suggested the amount of PEO that is distributed in GDMA-rich phase cannot be neglected. Free radical polymerization, which is generally utilized for synthesis of porous polymeric gels, usually leads to heterogeneous cross-linking forming local microgels and hinders the occurrence of spinodal decomposition in a cross-linking system over extended length scales. On the other hand, living polymerization allowed homogeneous cross-linking; hence, isotropic spinodal decomposition was induced in the copresence of PEO. The facile synthesis method presented here will lead to more precise control of pore properties of cross-linked organic polymer gels.

High-performance thermal insulating materials are desired especially from the viewpoint of saving energy for a sustainable society. Aerogel is the long-awaited material for extended applications due to its excellent thermal insulating ability. These materials are, however, seriously fragile against even small mechanical stress due to their low density, and their poor mechanical properties inhibit their practical use as superinsulators. In this paper, we report relationships between the thermal conductivity, pore size and mechanical properties of organic–inorganic hybrid polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels with improved mechanical properties and controllable pore sizes from ∼50 nm to 3 μm. The dependency of thermal conductivity on gas pressure and pore properties can be well explained by the thermal conduction theory of porous materials. These PMSQ aerogels show improved mechanical properties due to their elastic networks, which enable easier handling compared to conventional aerogels and facile production by simple ambient pressure drying. An aerogel-like “xerogel” monolithic panel has been successfully prepared via ambient pressure drying, which shows a low thermal conductivity (0.015 W m−1 K−1) comparable with those of the corresponding PMSQ aerogel and conventional silica aerogels. These results would open the gate for practical applications of these porous materials.

Supported metal alloy nanoparticles demonstrate high potential in designing heterogeneous catalysts for organic syntheses, pollution control and fuel cells. However, requirements of high temperature and multistep processes remain standing problems in traditional synthetic strategies. We herein present a low-temperature, single-step, liquid-phase methodology for designing monolith-supported metal alloy nanoparticles with high physicochemical stability and accessibility. Metal ions in aqueous solutions are reduced to form their corresponding metal alloy nanoparticles within hierarchically porous hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ, HSiO1.5) monoliths bearing well-defined macro- and mesopores and exhibiting high surface redox activity due to the presence of abundant Si–H groups. Supported bi-, tri- and tetrametallic nanoparticles have been synthesized with controlled compositions and loadings, and characterized in detail by microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. Examination of these supported metal alloy nanoparticles in catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol shows high catalytic activities depending on their compositions. Their recyclability and potential application in continuous flow reactors are also demonstrated.

Macro/meso/microporous carbon monoliths doped with sulfur have been prepared from sulfonated poly(divinylbenzene) networks followed by the activation with CO2 resulted in the activated carbon monoliths with high surface area of 2400 m2 g−1. The monolithic electrode of the activated carbon shows remarkably high specific capacitance (175 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1 and 206 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1).

We report new flexible “marshmallow-like” aerogels and xerogels with a bendable feature from the methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS) co-precursor systems. A 2-step acid/base sol–gel process and surfactant are employed to control the phase separation of the hydrophobic networks, which give porous monolithic gels. The obtained gels become softer and more flexible with increasing DMDMS fractions.

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 SiO2.

Porous polysilsesquioxane gels derived from sol–gel systems based on trifunctional silanes are reviewed. Although it is well known that trifunctional silanes possess inherent difficulties in forming homogeneous gels, increasing attention is being paid on these precursors and resultant porous polysilsesquioxanes because of hydrophobicity, functionality, and versatile mechanical properties. Much effort has been made to overcome the difficulties for homogeneous gelation, and a number of excellent porous materials with various pore properties have been explored. In this critical review, we put special emphasis on the formation of a well-defined macroporous structure by making use of phase separation, which in turn is a serious problem in obtaining homogeneous gels though. Porous polysilsesquioxane monoliths with the hierarchical structure and transparent aerogels with high mechanical durability are particularly highlighted (169 references).

Hierarchically porous carbon monoliths with high specific surface areas have been fabricated by removing nano-sized silica phase from carbon/silica composites pyrolyzed from bridged polysilsesquioxane. This activation method improves the homogeneity between inner and outer parts of the monoliths compared to the conventional thermal activation methods.

The synthesis of highly crystalline macro-meso-microporous monolithic Cu3(btc)2 (HKUST-1; btc3− = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) is demonstrated by direct conversion of Cu(OH)2-based monoliths while preserving the characteristic macroporous structure. The high mechanical strength of the monoliths is promising for possible applications to continuous flow reactors.