CONTEXT

There are currently a high number of porous inorganic synthetic materials and a high number of associated processes. Nevertheless, there is a current need for porous inorganic synthetic monolithic materials in which the pores are interconnected while  their sizes are controlled and homogeneous. None of current existing materials unites such properties.

TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION

In the present work, the inventors developed a process to prepare a monolithic material in which the pores are interconnected the size of the pores is controlled and homogeneous. Such property was made possible through the combination of Pickering emulsion science (oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by functionalized nanoparticles) and sol/gel chemistry (hydrolysis and condensation of metallic oxide precursors).

The process is based on the creation of an inorganic matrix from metallic oxide precursors as a result of an hydrolysis and a condensation of said precursors around droplets and the continuous phase of a nanoparticle stabilized oil-in-water Pickering emulsion.

The resulting solid “foam” have controlled and homogenous pores whose size can be obtained from 1 and 400 µm.

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

• Suitable process for multi-gram scale synthesis;
• Suitable process to promote either columns or membranes  macroscopic objects.

BENEFITS

Such process offers numerous advantages:

• Monolithic,
• Controlled porosity,
• Homogenous porosity,
• Interconnected pores,
• Functionalization,
• Soft chemistry: standard conditions for temperature and pressure.

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INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

Porous inorganic synthetic monolithic materials in which the size of the pores is controlled and homogeneous can be used in numerous applications:

• Separation chemistry (chromatography, filtration, depollution…),
• Heterogeneous catalysts,
• Thermal and acoustic isolation materials,
• Porous skeleton to template porous non-silica-based electrodes  

For further information, please contact us (Ref 03942-01)