Methods for making wet gels and dried gels therefrom

A method for making a dried gel, comprising:

• combining a solvent, a hydroxybenzene compound, an aldehyde compound, and an additive to produce a reaction mixture, wherein the additive comprises a carboxylic acid, an anhydride, a homopolymer, a copolymer, or any mixture thereof;
• reacting at least the hydroxybenzene compound and the aldehyde compound to produce a wet gel;
• and
• drying the wet gel to produce a dried gel, wherein a pressure exerted on the wet gel during drying is maintained below a critical pressure of the solvent, and wherein the dried gel has at least one property selected from the group consisting of:
• an average pore size of about 10 nm to about 150 nm,
• a specific surface area of about 5 m2/g to about 1,500 m2/g, and
• a pore volume of about 0.2 cm3/g to about 2.5 cm3/g.

A method for making a dried gel, comprising:

• determining one or more desired properties of a dried gel selected from the group consisting of:
• an average pore size of about 10 nm to about 150 nm, a specific surface area of about 5 m2/g to about 1,500 m2/g, and a pore volume of about 0.2 cm3/g to about 2.5 cm3/g;
• combining a solvent, a hydroxybenzene compound, an aldehyde compound, and an additive to produce a reaction mixture, wherein the additive comprises a carboxylic acid, an anhydride, a homopolymer, a copolymer, or any mixture thereof;
• reacting at least the hydroxybenzene compound and the aldehyde compound to produce a wet gel;
• and
• drying the wet gel to produce a dried gel, wherein a pressure exerted on the wet gel during drying is maintained below a critical pressure of the solvent, and wherein the amount of the hydroxybenzene compound, the amount of the aldehyde compound, and the amount of the additive are controlled to produce the dried gel having the one or more desired properties.