**Hyung-Shik Shin**

**1**

**Chapter 1**

Materials

**1. Introduction**

Introductory Chapter: An

*Sadia Ameen, Mohammad Shaheer Akhtar,* 

50 nm), and macroporous materials (pore size >50 nm) [2–6].

like absorption and flow of fluids as well as adsorption of gases.

*Rhushikesh Godbole and Hyung-Shik Shin*

Introduction to Nanoporous

In the last few decades, research interests and efforts on the synthesis, characterization, functionalization, molecular modeling, and designing of new and novel nanoporous materials have exceedingly grown. In general, the materials having sizes smaller than 100 nm in at least one dimension are considered to be nanomaterials. The materials possessing porous morphology with porous features comparable to 100 nm are termed as nanoporous materials [1]. The properties of nanoporous materials are not only governed by the arrangement of atoms within the crystal but also by the porosity and specific surface area. These materials contain several voids with the controllable dimensions in atomic, molecular, or nanometer scales which enable them to interact more effectively with their environment. According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) classification, nanoporous materials can be categorized on the basis of pore sizes as microporous materials (pore size <2 nm), mesoporous materials (pore size between 2 and

The main challenge in this research pertains to the tailor designing of nanoporous materials to obtain uniform particle/pore size and shape to suit a particular application. For nanoporous materials, it is also essential to achieve a precise composition in their chemical buildup which eventually becomes responsible for carrying out any chemical interaction with its surroundings. Moreover, based on the permeability of the pores to any fluid, these could be classified as closed pores and open pores. Materials properties especially the macroscopic properties like mechanical strength, density, thermal conductivity, etc. are associated to closed pores. On the other hand, the pores which are connected with the surfaces of the material through channels are called open pores. These are active in the processes

Nanoporous materials have potential applicability to obtain robust, miniaturized, and portable devices. Structural and morphological properties of these materials can be reliably characterized using X-ray diffraction technique (XRD), electron crystallography, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The oxidation state, coordination, and optical properties can be studied using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), etc. For elemental analysis of nanoporous materials, energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS),

School of Chemical Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Republic of Korea

Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Daejon, Republic of Korea
