Abstract: Silica aerogels that are controlled in pore diameter and pore diameter distribution can be produced as follows: a surfactant is dissolved in an acidic aqueous solution; a silicon compound having a hydrolysable functional group and a hydrophobic functional group is added thereto, so that a hydrolysis reaction is carried out to yield a gel; and after the gel is solidified, the gel is dried supercritically. Preferably, the surfactant is one selected from the group consisting of a nonionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, and an anionic surfactant, or a mixture of at least two of them. The silica aerogels produced as described above are usable for heat insulators for solar-heat collector panels or heat-insulating window materials for housing.

Abstract: The aggregation and phase separation of inorganic particles are performed in a sol containing the inorganic particles and a solvent to produce a porous body having open pores. Preferably, the inorganic particles are particles of one or more inorganic material selected from the group consisting of titania, silica, alumina, zinc oxide and zirconia. Further, the sol may have strong acidity and the pH of the sol is elevated to perform the aggregation and phase separation of the inorganic particles. Alternatively, the sol may have strong basicity and the pH of the sol is lowered to perform the aggregation and phase separation of the inorganic particles. The present invention provides a novel method of producing a porous body and sintered body having co-continuous structure, applicable to a wide variety of inorganic materials.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an inorganic porous body having an inorganic porous bone structure as the main body in which various kinds of particles can be uniformly loaded onto the wall surface facing the open pores. The inorganic porous composite body has an inorganic porous bone structure with open pores formed therein and particles for dispersion exposing to the wall surfaces of the bone structure facing the open pores. The bone structure is generated by sol-gel transition accompanied by phase transition.