Polymeric Monolith -New Fabrication Methods and Applications-

Monolith, a three-dimensional nanoporous material having a continuous interconnected pore structure in a single piece, has received much attention as a new type of a functional porous material. Monolith may be used as chromatographic separation medium, ion exchange resin, and catalyst support due to its large permeability, fast mass transfer performance, high stability and ease of chemical modification. This review deals with fabrication and applications of polymeric monolith. Most of the polymeric monoliths were fabricated by the polymerization of monomers with crosslinking agents, in which the precise control of the gelation process and phase separation rate is required. Recently, polymeric monoliths were fabricated by the phase separation of polymer solution. Bioplastic and carbon monoliths were developed by this new method. A micropatterned structure on the polymer surface was fabricated by the phase separation induced by soaking in a solvent.