Dendrimers as Building Blocks for Nanostructured Materials:  Micro- and Mesoporosity in Dendrimer-Based Xerogels

Second and third generation silylalkoxy-terminated carbosilane dendrimers have been used to make high surface area xerogels via an acid-catalyzed sol-gel protocol. These xerogels are micro- and mesoporous and contain a high degree of −OH functionality. An unexpected trend with respect to dendrimer generation and xerogel surface area is described. These xerogels may have applications as (for example) catalyst supports and porous membranes.