Manufacturing a low-K dielectric organic/inorganic aerogel composite material and its application are provided. The manufacturing method comprises: (1) mixing; (2) hydrolysis; (3) condensation; (4) aging; (5) drying; (6) impregnating polymer solution; (7) phase separation and drying; and (8) cross-linking and curing. The manufacturing method can produce a low-K dielectric organic/inorganic aerogel composite material having a high strength. The low-K dielectric aerogel is in a porous structure, and its porosity is higher than 70% and its density is from 0.12 g/cm.sup.3 to 0.45 g/cm.sup.3. The dielectric property of the low-K dielectric aerogel decreases along with an increase of its porosity, wherein a dielectric constant thereof is from 1.28 to 1.89, and a dielectric loss thereof is from 0.052 to 0.023. The low-k dielectric aerogel can be used for a dielectric layer in a high-frequency circuit, an insulation layer in a semiconductor device or a microwave circuit in a communication integrated circuit.

The present invention relates to a process for producing flame-retardant porous materials comprising the following steps: (a) reacting at least one polyfunctional isocyanate (a1) and at least one polyfunctional aromatic amine (a2) in an organic solvent optionally in the presence of water as component (a3) and optionally in the presence of at least one catalyst (a5); and then (b) removing the organic solvent to obtain the organic porous material,
where step (a) is carried out in the presence of at least one organic flame retardant as component (a4), where this flame retardant is soluble in the solvent. The invention further relates to the porous materials thus obtainable, and also to the use of the porous materials for thermal insulation.

The present invention is directed to a process for preparing a porous material, at least compris-ing the steps of providing a mixture (I) comprising a composition (A) at least comprising at least one polyfunctional isocyanate as component (ai) and at least one mineral acid (aa), and a sol-vent (B), reacting the components in the composition (A) obtaining an organic gel, and drying of the gel obtained. The invention further relates to the porous materials which can be obtained in this way and the use of the porous materials as thermal insulation material and as catalysts.

Silica-based organogels, including aerogels, incorporating hexahydrotriazine and/or hemiaminal species are described. These organo-silica gel materials can have applications as insulating materials. In a particular example, an aerogel includes silica groups and a hexahydrotriazine moiety with at least one nitrogen atom that is covalently linked to a silica group. Methods of making such silica-based organogels are also described.

Polymeric aerogels, articles made from the polymeric aerogels and methods of making the polymeric aerogels are provided. The aerogels are made e.g. from crosslinkable monomers such as isocyanate monomers or phenolic monomers and a filler comprising crosslinkable hydroxyl groups. The filler may be natural (e.g. wood flour) or synthetic. The aerogels and products made therefrom exhibit low thermal conductivity and are mechanically strong. Due to their physical properties, these materials are used as e.g. building envelope components, such as walls, roofs and frames, to improve the thermal performance thereof, and may be used in a variety of other applications such as sound and insulation barriers in mechanical equipment, cryogenic containers, etc.

The present invention discloses novel porous polymeric compositions comprising random copolymers of amides, imides, ureas, and carbamic-anhydrides, useful for the synthesis of monolithic bimodal microporous/macroporous carbon aerogels. It also discloses methods for producing said microporous/macroporous carbon aerogels by the reaction of a polyisocyanate compound and a polycarboxylic acid compound, followed by pyrolytic carbonization, and by reactive etching with CO.sub.2 at elevated temperatures. Also disclosed are methods for using the microporous/macroporous carbon aerogels in the selective capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide.

A synthesis method for making an isocyanate based organic xerogel having a low density (i.e. <400 kg/m.sup.3) and a small pore size (<150 nm) in combination with a specific surface area >100 m.sup.2/g is disclosed.

The synthesis method avoiding or reducing gel shrinkage during the solvent removal step is characterized by the step wherein the organic solvent used to synthesize the isocyanate based organic xerogel is replaced by water such that during the solvent removal step only water needs to be removed to dry the porous network and to obtain the isocyanate based organic xerogel.

The present invention relates to an organic aerogel obtained by reacting an isocyanate compound having a functionality equal or greater than 2 and a cyclic ether compound having a functionality equal or greater than 2 in a presence of a solvent. An organic aerogel according to the present invention provides good thermal insulation and good mechanical properties.

Nanoporous three-dimensional networks of polyurethane particles, e.g., polyurethane aerogels, and methods of preparation are presented herein. Such nanoporous networks may include polyurethane particles made up of linked polyisocyanate and polyol monomers. In some cases, greater than about 95% of the linkages between the polyisocyanate monomers and the polyol monomers are urethane linkages. To prepare such networks, a mixture including polyisocyanate monomers (e.g., diisocyanates, triisocyanates), polyol monomers (diols, triols), and a solvent is provided. The polyisocyanate and polyol monomers may be aliphatic or aromatic. A polyurethane catalyst is added to the mixture causing formation of linkages between the polyisocyanate monomers and the polyol monomers. Phase separation of particles from the reaction medium can be controlled to enable formation of polyurethane networks with desirable nanomorphologies, specific surface area, and mechanical properties. Various properties of such networks of polyurethane particles (e.g., strength, stiffness, flexibility, thermal conductivity) may be tailored depending on which monomers are provided in the reaction.

An aerogel and method of making the aerogel is disclosed. The aerogel is a polyimide/polyamide hybrid with a cross-linking agent that induces gelation.