Assembly of ultrasmall Cu3N nanoparticles into three-dimensional porous monolithic aerogels.

We present for the first time the synthesis of transition metal nitride aerogels, specifically Cu3N aerogels by destabilizing colloidal Cu3N nanoparticles into gels using controlled heat treatment. The resulting aerogels consist of interconnected three-dimensional networks with ultrasmall-sized nanoparticle bridges of a surface area of 381 m(2) g(-1) and only 5% relative density.