Advances in monolithic porous materials tailored in liquid media: around inorganic oxides and organic polymers

Abstract

This review briefly surveys, with an emphasis on the author’s works, porous monoliths tailored by liquid-phase synthesis. Porous structures ranging from mesopore to macropore regions are induced in sol–gel polymerizing systems, which yield various porous materials such as inorganic oxides, organic–inorganic hybrids, crosslinked polymers, and carbons. It should particularly be noted that the networks must be homogeneous enough to obtain monolithic materials with fine pore structures, and for this purpose, the chemical reactions must be carefully designed and controlled. With exemplifying alkoxy-derived sol–gel systems and controlled/living radical polymerization systems, pore formations and applications of resultant materials are demonstrated.