Appeal No. 1997-0818
Application No. 08/102,470
distribution. Appellants’ claimed method includes the steps
of mixing an organosilicon precursor, water, a catalyst, and,
importantly, particles of a combustible material (e.g., ethyl
cellulose, acrylic polymer beads, sawdust or graphite) having
a diameter in a range of 500 angstroms to 500 microns to form
a mixture, pouring the mixture into a mold, allowing the
mixture to gel to form a ceramic composite, drying the ceramic
composite and heating the ceramic composite in either air or
oxygen at a temperature range which is sufficiently high
enough to burn away the combustible material particles.
Further details of the appealed process are shown in
representative appealed claim 1 which is reproduced below:
1. A process for making a porous ceramic composite with a
bimodal pore size distribution comprising the steps of:
a. mixing an organosilicon precursor from a group
consisting of tetramethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane,
tetrapropoxysilane and tetrabutoxysilane, water, a catalyst
and particles of a combustible material having a diameter in a
range of 500 angstroms to 500 microns to form a mixture;
b. pouring said mixture into a mold;
c. allowing said mixture to gel to form a ceramic
composite;
d. drying said ceramic composite; and
e. heating said ceramic composite in either air or oxygen
to burn away said particles of said combustible material.
2
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