A molding based on a monolithic organic aerogel has a density in the range from 60 to 300 kg/m.sup.3 and a thermal conductivity in the range from 12 to 17.8 mW/m*K. The molding based on a monolithic organic aerogel has more than 30 vol.-% of pores with a diameter of less than 150 nm, and more than 20 vol.-% of pores with a diameter of less than 27 nm, based on the total pore volume. A process can be used to prepare the molding by compression.

A method of manufacturing a thermally insulating product comprises: (a) forming a mixture comprising solvent and gel network former and optionally foaming agent; (b) dispersing a thermally insulating filler in the mixture; and (c) drying the mixture to form the thermally insulating product.

The invention relates to a gel comprising a first gelatin component and a second gelatin component in an aqueous medium, wherein the first gelatin component comprises gelatin particles comprising chemical cross-links and dehydrothermal cross-links; and the second gelatin component comprises a dissolved gelatin comprising chemical cross-links and at least one polysaccharide.

Method of preparing a porous material includes preparing a mixture of from about 10 to about 30% by mass of a matrix material, from about 20 to about 60% by mass of a plurality of particles, from about 20 to about 60% by mass of a porogen, and from about 1 to about 10% by mass of an interfacial compatibilizer. The matrix material and the porogen may be selected so as to be phase separated in the mixture. The method may further include placing the mixture into a form; initiating a solidification of the matrix material during which the porogen remains nonvolatile and the matrix material and the porogen remain phase separated; and removing at least a portion of the porogen to obtain the porous material. Porous materials produced by the methods. Microfluidic channels produced by the methods.

The present invention relates to a polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel having an asymmetric pore size. the pore size of the upper surface of the polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel is 1-30 μm, the pore size of lower surface thereof is 50-300 μm, and the pore size of the hydrogel gradually increases from the upper surface to the lower surface. The polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel in the present invention has excellent biocompatibility, and has functions of blocking bacteria, anti-adhesion, the absorption of exudate, promoting wound healing, observing in situ of wound healing process and the like.

A method for manufacturing a porous film includes: a first step of preparing droplets (D) which are formed from a first liquid into spheres with a predetermined diameter of 10 μm or more and 2000 μm or less and a second liquid (L2) which includes a curing agent which cures by imparting energy or a curing agent which cures due to change in pH and includes droplets dispersed therein; a second step of injecting the droplets and the second liquid into a gap between a pair of substrates (31 and 32); a third step of curing the second liquid to form an external phase; and the fourth step of removing the droplets in the external phase to form hole sections.

An aerogel and drying method, the aerogel having a larger size, good productivity, and high transparency. The aerogel has a silsesquioxane structure and exhibits two exothermic peaks observed in a temperature range of 300 to 600° C. as measured by TG-DTA (thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis) under an inert gas atmosphere containing 80% by volume of an inert gas and 20% by volume of oxygen. A method for producing aerogel includes a drying step including a first step in which an aerogel which has undergone condensation of a hydrolysate is placed in a liquid phase system having a first liquid phase and a second liquid phase; a second step in which a first solvent constituting the first liquid phase is evaporated from the first liquid phase at a temperature greater than room temperature; and a third step in which heating is still continued after the first liquid phase is evaporated off.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a hierarchically porous polymer and a hierarchically porous polymer prepared thereby. The method comprises the steps of: (a) polymerizing an external oil phase of a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) consisting aqueous droplets to produce a cross-linked block copolymer; (b) obtaining a macroporous polymer with interconnected macropores by removing the aqueous droplets; and (c) treating the obtained porous polymer with a base, thereby obtaining a hierarchically porous polymer having three-dimensional mesopores formed in the macroporous walls. According to the method, the macropore size and mesopore size of the hierarchically porous polymer can all be controlled. The hierarchically porous polymer prepared by the method can easily separate polymers having different sizes, and thus is highly useful in the polymer separation field.

The present invention provides a method to prepare polymer materials with interlocked porous structures by freezing and demulsification, which includes: (1) Preparing an emulsion containing uncrosslinked polymers and crosslinking agents. The uncrosslinked polymers are presented in the organic phase, and the crosslinking agents are presented in the organic phase or water phase. Under freezing, the demulsification is occurred which leads to the interaction between polymers and crosslinking agents, and the crosslinked materials are obtained. (2) After removing the ice crystals, polymer materials with interlocked porous structures are synthesized. The method provided by the present invention is simple to operate, and can well adjust the porous structures of obtained porous polymer materials. In addition, it is suitable for large scale manufacturing. At the same time, this process can form different functional porous polymer materials by simply changing the used monomers. Particularly, it can prepare melt-blown fabrics with antibacterial property, high-throughput vertical porous structures and high-temperature sterilizable feature, therefore, it can be used to manufacture medical products such as masks.

A sol composition for aerogel formation including a hydrolysis product of a polysiloxane compound.