Control of Mesoporous Structure of Aerogels Derived from Cresol–Formaldehyde

Abstract

Polycondensation of a cresol mixture (C m) with formaldehyde (F) in basic aqueous solutions leads to formation of highly cross-linked C mF aquagels that can be supercritically dried with carbon dioxide to form organic C mF aerogels. Aerogels synthesized with different catalyst contents and reactant concentrations are characterized by low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. The present experimental results suggest that the C mF aerogels are typical mesoporous materials and have almost no micropores in bulk. The microstructure of the organic C mF aerogels can be controlled and tailored effectively by varying synthesis conditions during the initial sol–gel process. C mF organic aerogels with specific surface area as high as 627 m 2/g and corresponding pore volume 2.06 ml/g have been obtained with a dominant pore size of 30 nm. C mF organic aerogels with peaky pore size distributions concentrated at 11 nm have also been prepared.