Disclosed is a method for making a polymer or copolymer aerogel product by forming an aerogel polymer or copolymer solution in the presence of a polymer or copolymer catalyst and solvent therefor. The aerogel polymer or copolymer solution is drained onto a spinning disk or cup. The solvent is removed under aerogel forming conditions to produce the aerogel fiber web or yarn product.

The present disclosure provides a series of new and improved porous polyamide aerogels derived from multifunctional aromatics that combine the high mechanical strength of aramids with the pore structure of aerogels. The polyamide aerogels have a hyperbranched structure, relatively low density, high porosity and may be derived from functionalized monomers having more aromatic groups than functional groups. The present disclosure also provides a new method for producing the porous polyamide aerogels by polymerizing an aromatic multifunctional carboxylic acid or a ferrocene multifunctional carboxylic acid with a polyfunctional aromatic isocyanate at moderate reaction conditions followed by drying with liquid CO.sub.2. Also disclosed are various methods of use of these polyamide aerogels in a variety of applications, particularly in the generation of various precious metal catalysts. Thus, monolithic nanoporous carbon-supported Fe, Au, Pt, Pd, Co, Ni, Ru, and Rh catalysts are disclosed herein, which are derived by pyrolysis and transmetalation via galvanic replacement of ferrocene-based polyamide aerogels.

Thermally treated aerogel compositions that include polyamic amides in an amount less than the aerogel compositions that include polyamic amides prior to thermal treatment, and articles of manufacture that include or are manufactured from the aerogel compositions are described.

Disclosed are cellulose-based flexible gels containing cellulose nanorods, ribbons, fibers, and the like, and cellulose-enabled inorganic or polymeric composites, wherein the gels have tunable optical, heat transfer, and stiffness properties. The disclosed gels are in the form of hydrogels, organogels, liquid-crystal (LC) gels, and aerogels, depending on the solvents in the gels.

Porous resin particles are disclosed that comprise a polymer of a monomer mixture. The monomer mixture includes: a mono(meth)acrylate-based monomer in an amount of 3 wt % to 40 wt % containing: an ethylenic unsaturated group only in a (meth)acrylic acid residue; and a hydroxyl group and at least either an ether group or an ester group in an alcohol residue; another monofunctional vinyl-based monomer in an amount of 10 wt % to 69 wt % containing a single ethylenic unsaturated group; and a polyfunctional vinyl-based monomer in an amount of 30 wt % to 70 wt % containing two or more ethylenic unsaturated groups.

A thermally treated open-cell structured polymeric material comprising a polyamic amide containing polymer is disclosed. The polyamic amid containing polymer can have a repeating structural unit of:

##STR00001##

where X is a first organic group having at least two carbon atoms, Y is a second organic group having at least two carbon atoms, Z and Z are each independently a hydroxyl group or a nitrogen containing hydrocarbon compound comprising at least one secondary nitrogen with the proviso that that at least one of Z or Z is the nitrogen containing hydrocarbon compound comprising at least one secondary nitrogen, and m and n are average number of repeat units per chain ranging from 1 to 2000.

An organic polymer aerogel that includes an organic polymer gel matrix and microstructures dispersed or embedded within the aerogel is disclosed. The aerogel can have an at least bimodal pore size distribution comprising a first peak of less than or equal to 65 nm and a second peak greater than or equal to 100 nm.