Nanocasting:: A versatile strategy for creating nanostructured porous materials

Nanocasting is a powerful method fro creating materials that are more difficult to synthesize by conventional process. We summarize recent developments in the synthesis of various structured porous solids, covering silica, carbon, and other nonsiliceous solids that are created by a nanocasting pathway. Structure replication on the nanometer length scale allows materials' properties to be manipulated in a controlled manner, such as tunable composition, controllable structure and morphology, and specific functionality. The nanocasting pathway with hard templates opens the door to the design of highly porous solids with multifunctional properties and interesting application perspectives.