Silicon imidonitride aerogel exhibiting macro- and meso-dual porosity

Porous silicon imidonitride aerogels have been produced by combining a sol–gel process based on [Si(NH2)(NMe2)3] and ammonia that is known for producing xerogels with controlled mesoporosity, with a supercritical drying process using diethylamine to minimize collapse of the gel structure. The silicon imidonitride aerogel product takes the form of a porous monolith exhibiting two populations of pores in a hierarchical structure. The mesopores can be linked to the precursor system employed, whilst the macropores are consistent with the porosity of related aerogel systems.

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► A porous silicon diimide gel has been prepared by sol–gel chemistry.
► Using ammonia-saturated supercritical diethylamine, this gel has been dried into an aerogel.
► The transformation into an aerogel maintained the porosity of the initial gel while adding its own set of pores.
► The final material shows little shrinking, which enables casting into shapes useful for potential applications.