Conductive porous material, resin molding die employing the same, and method of preparing conductive porous material

A resin molding die including a conductive porous material and having a cavity, setting a flowable resin in the cavity to provide a molded product, the resin molding die comprising:

• matrix having a sintered compact of an oxide;
• a communicating opening formed in said matrix to allow the resin molding die to have a molding surface with an opening, having a small diameter and being permeable to gas and impermeable to substance other than gas;
• and
• a conductive layer, in the form of a layer or with adjacent particles in contact with each other, provided on an internal wall of said communicating opening and passing a current to generate heat.

A method of preparing a conductive porous material including a matrix having a sintered compact of an oxide, a communicating opening formed in said matrix, having a small diameter and being permeable to gas and impermeable to substance other than gas, and a conductive layer provided on an internal wall of said communicating opening and passing a current to generate heat, the method comprising the steps of:

• mixing said oxide and a substance including at least any of carbon and boron at a prescribed ratio to provide a mixture;
• drying said mixture;
• sizing said mixture dried;
• molding said mixture sized;
• and
• firing said mixture molded, in a vacuumed atmosphere or a controlled nitrogen atmosphere, wherein in the step of firing, a gas generated by a reaction between said oxide and a different substance flows out to form said communicating opening, and in said reaction a conductive substance adheres on an internal wall of said communicating opening to deposit said conductive layer in the form of a layer or with adjacent particles in contact with each other.