Porise

Porise is a term used in materials science to denote a class of highly porous solids with an interconnected pore network. The concept is used in theoretical discussions and early experimental work exploring porous materials with tunable pore structures beyond conventional zeolites and mesoporous silicas. The etymology combines "porous" and the suffix "-ise" to suggest a material with designed porosity.

Structure and properties: Porise materials are described as having a continuous solid framework that hosts uniform or hierarchical pores. Pore sizes are often described in the mesoporous range (about 2–50 nanometers) but can extend to macropores; surface area is typically high, enabling rapid mass transfer. Mechanical properties depend on composition, with silica- and carbon-based prototypes showing varying stiffness and thermal stability.

Synthesis and examples: In laboratory studies, porise-like structures may be prepared by templating methods, such as block copolymer templating for mesoporous silica or etching and 3D-printed scaffolds for hierarchical porosity. In computational work, porise is used as a model system to investigate how pore architecture affects diffusion and reactivity.

Applications and status: Potential applications include gas separation, heterogeneous catalysis, energy storage, and controlled drug delivery, where high surface area and tunable pore networks improve performance. As of the current literature, porise remains a developing concept with limited experimental realization and ongoing debate about practical synthesis and stability.

See also: Porosity, Porous materials, Zeolites, Mesoporous silica, Metal-organic frameworks.