Ceramic structures and methods of making them

Abstract

A ceramic structure having a scaffold with at least one opening and at least one porous filler material at least partially filling the at least one opening is described. The porous ceramic filler includes a plurality of pores. The pores have an average size in a range from about 2 nm to about 100 nm. The plurality of pores includes at least one pore architecture. For each pore architecture, the average pore size does not vary by more than about 100% when the average pore size is in a range from about 2 nm to about 50 nm, and the average pore size does not vary by more than about 50% when the average pore size is greater than about 50 nm. The plurality of pores includes at least two pore architectures when the porous filler material is silica. Also described is a method of making the ceramic structure.

1 - 17 . (canceled)  
   
   
       18 . A method of making a ceramic structure comprising: 
 (a) a scaffold comprising at least one opening; and    (b) at least one porous ceramic filler at least partially filling the at least one opening, wherein the least one porous ceramic filler comprises a plurality of pores having at least one pore architecture;    wherein the pores have an average size in a range from about 2 nm to about 100 nm;    wherein for each pore architecture, the average pore size does not vary by more than about 100% when the average pore size is in a range from about 2 nm to about 50 nm, and the average pore size does not vary by more than about 50% when the average pore size is greater than about 50 nm; and    wherein the plurality of pores has at least two pore architectures when the at least one porous ceramic filler is silica.    the method comprising the steps of:    (i) providing at least one liquid precursor of at least one porous ceramic filler in a solvent, wherein the at least one liquid precursor comprises: 
 a) at least one template; and  
 b) at least one ceramic precursor;  
   (ii) providing a scaffold to the at least one liquid precursor;    (iii) removing some of the solvent from the at least one liquid precursor to form the at least one liquid precursor into a gel;    (iv) removing the at least one template; and    (v) optionally heating the gel at a temperature in a range from about 200° C. to about 800° C.    
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising repeating Steps i-v at least one time to achieve a plurality of at least one of a composition, pore architecture, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the pore architecture comprises at least one pore organization, wherein the at least one pore organization comprises at least one of a hexagonal organization, a cubic organization, a lamellar organization, a bicontinuous organization, a worm-like organization, a ribbon organization, a mesh organization, a gyroid organization, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the scaffold comprises porous anodic aluminum oxide.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the pore architecture comprises at least one composition, wherein the at least one composition comprises at least one of an oxide, a borate, an aluminate, a silicate, a phosphate, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising doping the at least one composition.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the at least one composition comprises an oxide.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the oxide comprises at least one of SiO 2 , TiO 2  A 1   2 O 3 , ZrO 2  Nb 2 O 3 , Ta 2 O 5 WO 3 , SnO 2 , HfO 2 , SiAlO 3 , SiTiO 4 , ZrTiO 4 , Al 2 TiO 5 , ZrW 2 O 8 , CeO 2 , yttria stabilized zirconia, Y 2 O 3 , and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the oxide comprises mesoporous silica.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the oxide comprises mesoporous titania.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one porous ceramic filler further comprises a plurality of nanoparticles having a diameter less than the size of the at least one opening.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles comprises semiconductor nano-crystals.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles comprises a ceramic.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the ceramic comprises at least one of an oxide, a borate, an aluminate, a silicate, a phosphate, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the plurality of nanoparticles is embedded within at least one of a composition of the at least one porous filler material, the plurality of pores of the at least one porous filler material, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one porous ceramic filler fills at least 50% of the portion of the at least one opening.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one porous ceramic filler at least partially filling the at least one opening, does not fill 100% of the portion of the at least one opening and leaves a portion of the at least one opening unfilled.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the unfilled portion of the at least one opening is filled by a plurality of nanoparticles each having a diameter less than the size of the at least one opening.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the step of heating the liquid precursor at a temperature in a range from about 200° C. to about 800° C. comprises heating the liquid precursor at a temperature in a range from about 400° C. to about 600° C.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one template comprises at least one of a cationic surfactant, a nonionic block copolymer, a protein an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, a zwitterionic surfactant, a long chain alcohol, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one ceramic precursor comprises at least one of an alkoxide, a metal salt, an oxide colloidal particle, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising providing a reagent to the liquid precursor.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the reagent comprises at least one of an acid, a base, a salt and combinations thereof.