An object of the present invention is to provide a porous body having excellent adsorption performance, an adsorbent including the porous body, and a method of removing a metal and/or a metal ion from a liquid to be treated, with the adsorbent, and, in order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a porous body having a co-continuous structure formed by: a ceramic skeleton including mesopores; and macropores, wherein a surface of the ceramic skeleton is modified by a metal- and/or metal ion-adsorbable nitrogen atom-containing group, wherein the nitrogen atom-containing group is at least one selected from a primary amino group, a secondary amino group, a tertiary amino group, a quaternary ammonium group, an imino group, a nitrilo group and a nitrogen atom-containing heterocyclic group, and wherein an amount of the nitrogen atom-containing group contained in the porous body is 1.5 mmol/g or more and 5.4 mmol/g or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide a porous body having excellent adsorption performance, an adsorbent including the porous body, and a method of removing a metal and/or a metal ion from a liquid to be treated, with the adsorbent, and, in order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a porous body having a co-continuous structure formed by: a ceramic skeleton including mesopores; and macropores, wherein a surface of the ceramic skeleton is modified by a metal- and/or metal ion-adsorbable nitrogen atom-containing group, wherein the nitrogen atom-containing group is at least one selected from a primary amino group, a secondary amino group, a tertiary amino group, a quaternary ammonium group, an imino group, a nitrilo group and a nitrogen atom-containing heterocyclic group, and wherein an amount of the nitrogen atom-containing group contained in the porous body is 1.5 mmol/g or more and 5.4 mmol/g or less.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a silica aerogel and a silica aerogel produced thereby. More specifically, a first water glass solution is used to form a first silica wet gel, and then a second water glass solution is additionally added to form a second silica wet gel organically bonded to the first silica wet gel which serves as a basic skeleton, so that a silica aerogel with enhanced physical properties is formed to increase the resistance to shrinkage in ambient drying, and the concentration of silicon dioxide in each of the first and second water glass solutions is controlled, thereby providing a method for producing a silica aerogel by which a silica aerogel having a specific tap density and controllable density can be produced, and also providing a silicon aerogel produced by the method.

A positive electrode active material contains conductive silica and sulfur filled in pores of the conductive silica. The conductive silica is preferably a composite containing silica gel and fine particulate carbon dispersed in the silica gel. The positive electrode includes the aforementioned positive electrode active material. A rechargeable battery includes the aforementioned positive electrode.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatuses and methods, in which solation of a mixed liquid can be allowed to progress under sufficiently controlled conditions with the mixed liquid being effectively cooled, to thereby industrially produce a homogeneous sol, and then sol-gel transition with a phase separation process can be induced, to produce a gel having a co-continuous structure of a skeleton phase and a solvent phase and to produce a silica porous body having macropores. According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a sol producing apparatus (1) that produces a sol for use in production of a silica porous body having macropores, the sol producing apparatus (1) including a mixing section (11) that prepares a mixed liquid (M) containing a silica precursor, a catalyst and a macropore forming agent, a first feeding section (12) that feeds the silica precursor to the mixing section (11), a second feeding section (13A) that feeds the catalyst and the macropore forming agent in admixture with each other, to the mixing section (11), a discharging pipe (14) that discharges the mixed liquid (M) from the mixing section (11), and a cooling section (15) that cools the mixed liquid (M) flowing through the discharging pipe (14), to 35? C. or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatuses and methods, in which solation of a mixed liquid can be allowed to progress under sufficiently controlled conditions with the mixed liquid being effectively cooled, to thereby industrially produce a homogeneous sol, and then sol-gel transition with a phase separation process can be induced, to produce a gel having a co-continuous structure of a skeleton phase and a solvent phase and to produce a silica porous body having macropores. According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a sol producing apparatus (1) that produces a sol for use in production of a silica porous body having macropores, the sol producing apparatus (1) including a mixing section (11) that prepares a mixed liquid (M) containing a silica precursor, a catalyst and a macropore forming agent, a first feeding section (12) that feeds the silica precursor to the mixing section (11), a second feeding section (13A) that feeds the catalyst and the macropore forming agent in admixture with each other, to the mixing section (11), a discharging pipe (14) that discharges the mixed liquid (M) from the mixing section (11), and a cooling section (15) that cools the mixed liquid (M) flowing through the discharging pipe (14), to 35? C. or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of recovering a metal and/or a metal ion from a liquid to be treated, by use of a monolith adsorbent, and a novel method of regenerating an adsorbent used in the method of recovering a metal and/or a metal ion from a liquid to be treated, and, in order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a method of recovering a metal and/or a metal ion, the method including the following steps of: (1) preparing for a solution containing a metal and/or a metal ion; (2) preparing for an adsorbent having a co-continuous structure formed by: a ceramic skeleton including mesopores; and macropores, wherein a surface of the ceramic skeleton is modified by a metal- and/or metal ion-adsorbable functional group, a most frequent pore diameter of the macropores before modification by the functional group is 0.20 ?m or more and 4.0 ?m or less, and a most frequent pore diameter of the mesopores before modification by the functional group is 2.0 nm or more and 50 nm or less; (3) contacting the solution and the adsorbent; (4) contacting the adsorbent subjected to step (3) and an acidic solution; and (5) recovering the metal and/or the metal ion from the acidic solution subjected to step (4).

An object of the present invention is to provide a monolith columnar body capable of satisfying both adsorption performance and durability, a monolith adsorbent using the monolith columnar body, and a method of removing a metal and/or a metal ion from a liquid to be treated, with the monolith adsorbent, and, in order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a columnar body (1) having a co-continuous structure formed by: a ceramic skeleton (2) including mesopores (4); and macropores (3), wherein an average diameter of the columnar body (1) is 1.5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, wherein a most frequent pore diameter of the macropores (3) is 0.20 ?m or more and 4.0 ?m or less, and wherein a most frequent pore diameter of the mesopores (4) is 2.0 nm or more and 50 nm or less.

An object of the present invention is to provide a monolith columnar body capable of satisfying both adsorption performance and durability, a monolith adsorbent using the monolith columnar body, and a method of removing a metal and/or a metal ion from a liquid to be treated, with the monolith adsorbent, and, in order to achieve the object, the present invention provides a columnar body (1) having a co-continuous structure formed by: a ceramic skeleton (2) including mesopores (4); and macropores (3), wherein an average diameter of the columnar body (1) is 1.5 mm or more and 20 mm or less, wherein a most frequent pore diameter of the macropores (3) is 0.20 ?m or more and 4.0 ?m or less, and wherein a most frequent pore diameter of the mesopores (4) is 2.0 nm or more and 50 nm or less.

A method of producing nanomaterials in a sol-gel process is described, including selecting at least one type of nanoparticle to be produced within a prepared solution, placing high voltage contactless electrodes in a pre-selected configuration that forms the selected at least one type of nanoparticle, the high voltage contactless electrodes includes at least one anode and one cathode, providing the prepared solution for application of an electric field via high voltage contactless electrodes without direct contact with the anode and the cathode, and providing a voltage to the high voltage contactless electrodes, and producing the at least one type of nanoparticle within the prepared solution. A method of controlling production of nanomaterials in a sol-gel process and a system for producing nanomaterials having high voltage contactless electrodes is disclosed.