1 Introduction. - 1. 1 What are porous materials?. - 1. 2 Classification of porous materials. - References. - 2 Powder compacts and green bodies for porous materials. - 2. 1 Sintering as a process for producing porous materials. - 2. 2 The raw powder. - 2. 3 Green bodies. - 2. 4 Pore forming agents. - References. - 3 Sintering mechanisms and advanced sintering methods for porous materials. - 3. 1 Theory of sintering for porous materials. - 3. 2 Conventional sintering processes for producing porous materials. - 3. 3 Advanced production methods for porous materials. - References. - 4 Sol-gel processing designing porosity pore size and polarity and shaping processes. - 4. 1 Introduction. - 4. 2 Factors affecting porosity pore size and polarity. - 4. 3 Xerogels. - 4. 4 Aerogels. - References. - 5 Applications of porous materials. - 5. 1 Filters. - 5. 2 Catalysts. - 5. 3 Bioreactors. - 5. 4 Cells. - 5. 5 Grinding wheels. - 5. 6 Gas sensors. - 5. 7 Gas separators. - 5. 8 Electrodes. - 5. 9 Porous metal bearings. - 5. 10 Thermal insulators. - 5. 11 Capacitors. - 5. 12 Impact energy absorbers. - 5. 13 Heaters and heat exchangers. - 5. 14 Molds. - 5. 15 Surgical implants. - References. - 6 Properties and evaluation techniques for porous materials. - 6. 1 Density and porosity. - 6. 2 Pore size. - 6. 3 Specific surface area. - 6. 4 Fluid permeability. - 6. 5 Mechanical properties. - 6. 6 Entropy (surface state of porous materials). - References. - Appedix A: Entropy of porous materials. - References. Language: English