Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a sol of an inorganic porous substance having a small particle diameter and a uniform pore diameter, and a synthetic method thereof, and uses using the same, in particular, an ink-jet recording medium excellent in ink absorbing property, transparency, water resistance and light resistance, and a coating liquid for an ink-jet recording medium. The invention relates to a sol containing an inorganic porous substance, the inorganic porous substance having an average particle diameter, measured by the dynamic light scattering method, of 10 nm to 400 nm, an average aspect ratio of its primary particles of 2 or more and meso-pores extending in the longitudinal direction, and suffering from substantially no secondary aggregation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hybrid electrolyte comprising a shaped porous polymer structure comprising a polymer matrix and a plurality of cells dispersed in the polymer matrix, the polymer matrix containing a crosslinked polymer segment and having a gel content in the range of from 20 to 75%, wherein the shaped porous polymer structure is impregnated and swelled with an electrolytic liquid. A method for producing the hybrid electrolyte and a method for producing an electrochemical device comprising the hybrid electrolyte are also disclosed. The hybrid electrolyte of the present invention has a high ionic conductivity, an excellent stability under high temperature conditions and an excellent adherability to an electrode. Further, by the method of the present invention, the hybrid electrolyte having the above-mentioned excellent properties and an electrochemical device comprising such a hybrid electrolyte can be surely and effectively produced.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel hybrid polymeric electrolyte formed of a closed-cell cellular polymer foam impregnated with a non-aqueous electrolytic liquid, which comprises a plurality of closed cells defined by cell walls constituting a continuous solid-phase matrix which is impregnated with the non-aqueous electrolytic liquid to form a continuous solid-phase domain, in which the plurality of closed cells are substantially filled with a non-aqueous electrolytic liquid to form a plurality of liquid phase domains which are dispersed in the above-mentioned continuous solid-phase domain. The hybrid polymeric electrolyte of the present invention has not only high ionic conductivity and high mechanical strength, but also has the ability to prevent the non-aqueous electrolytic liquid from leakage. The non-aqueous electrochemical device comprising the hybrid polymeric electrolyte of the present invention exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, and also retains electrolytic liquid well.

Abstract: A living polymerization method in which an organic aluminum compound having a bulky substituent group is used as a cocatalyst in the living polymerization of a (meth)acrylic acid ester, an epoxide or a lactone in the presence of a metal porphyrin complex as a polymerization initiator.