Arizona State University

Alex Volosin

Dong-Kyun Seo

Danielle Ladd

Porous materials are fabricated using interpenetrating inorganic-organic composite gels. A mixture or precursor solution including an inorganic gel precursor, an organic polymer gel precursor, and a solvent is treated to form an inorganic wet gel including the organic polymer gel precursor and the solvent. The inorganic wet gel is then treated to form a composite wet gel including an organic polymer network in the body of the inorganic wet gel, producing an interpenetrating inorganic-organic composite gel. The composite wet gel is dried to form a composite material including the organic polymer network and an inorganic network component. The composite material can be treated further to form a porous composite material, a porous polymer or polymer composite, a porous metal oxide, and other porous materials.

Fabricating porous materials using intrepenetrating inorganic-organic composite gels

Methods, apparatuses, and systems for fabricating porous materials using thixotropic gels. A shear force is applied to a thixotropic material causing the material to flow. Multiple components are added to the thixotropic material while applying the shear force causing the multiple components to be distributed in the material. The shear force is removed such that the static properties of the thixotropic material in the absence of the shear force retain a distribution of the multiple components in the thixotropic material to form a composite gel material that includes liquid within a network of inter-connected solid particles that include the distributed plurality of components. The liquid in the composite gel material is removed to form a porous composite material.

Fabricating porous materials using thixotropic gels

Preparing porous particles includes forming a gel including a first liquid and an oxygen-containing compound of a metal, semi-metal, metalloid, or semi-conductor, including an oxide, hydroxide, alkoxide, oxohydroxide, oxoalkoxide, oxo salt, or oxo salt hydrate of the metal, semi-metal, metalloid, or semi-conductor; contacting the gel with a combustible liquid to form a combustible gel; and initiating combustion of the combustible gel to form a substance including porous metal, semi-metal, metalloid, or semi-conductor oxide particles. The combustible liquid can include a volatile solvent. The porous particles have open pores with a range of nanoscale pore sizes. The porous particles may be treated further to form, for example, a composite.

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Tempe, AZ, United States of America

Alex Volosin