| abstract |
The present invention provides for amorphous, nanoporous, ceramic material having a surface area in excess of 70 m2/gm and characterized by a high content of open microporous cell structure wherein the micropores have a mean width of less than 20 Angstroms and wherein said microporous structure comprises a volume of greater than about 0.03 cm3/gm of the ceramic. The invention also provides a process for the preparation of such nanoporous ceramics wherein a ceramic precursor polymer or oligomer is gradually heated in the presence of an inert gas or vacuum up to a maximum temperature in the range of greater than 400 DEG C. up to about 650 DEG C. Optionally, the process may also include a crosslinking step conducted prior to the heating step wherein the precursor polymer or oligomer is heated in the presence of a crosslinking agent capable of undergoing addition or substitution reactions with backbone atoms present in said precursor material, at an intermediate temperature of about 100 DEG to 400 DEG C. for a period of time sufficient to crosslink said precursor material, followed by pyrolysis of the crosslinked material. |