Shocking osmotic route to nanopores

Published in Chemistry World, 28 Nov 2011

Scientists in the UK have come up with a new method to create nanoporous materials. The method, which uses osmosis to drive a minor component from a material, should make nanoporous materials easier to manufacture for applications such as filtration.

Nanoporous materials have become important for many emerging applications. Their high surface area makes them ideal for catalysis, while the compact structure of their pores can make them excellent for photonics or water filtration. However, the manufacture of nanoporous materials is not always straightforward. One component of a material – the one that becomes the pores – needs to be removed, and to make this possible it must be connected throughout the structure, as well linked to the outside. […]

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