Abstract
The composites of silica and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared by sol-gel process. The composites containing more than 50wt% of PVA could be drawn in water at 50°C. The maximum draw ratio of the composites containing 50 and 80wt% of PVA were about 2.5 and 5.5, respectively. The porous silica gels were obtained by calcination of these composites at 600°C for 6 h. The obtained silica gels showed large specific surface area (700 to 950m2/g) and had micropores and mesopores of diameters of less than 10nm. The average pore size and the pore volume could be changed by drawing the composites before calcination.
