TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The soluble metal precursor comprises a metal comprising tin, vanadium, nickel, germanium, molybdenum, platinum, titanium, zirconium, zinc, ruthenium, aluminum, uranium and/or copper. The flowing gas comprises oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon or selenium, and the inorganic foam is a metal oxide foam, a metal nitride foam, a metal foam, metal carbide or a metal selenide. The metal foam is a copper foam or a germanium foam. The flowing gas comprises hydrogen, the soluble metal comprises molybdenum or uranium, and the inorganic foam is a carbide and/or a nitride.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The flowing gas comprises ethylene.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Method: The heating of the gel body occurs under the atmosphere of a flowing gas. Preferred Components: The soluble polyethyleneimine comprises polyethyleneimine and derivatives of polyethyleneimine. EXAMPLE - Vanadyl sulfate (2 g) was dissolved in water (20 ml). EDTA (2 g) and polyethyleneimine (2.1 g) were added to the solution. The resulting mixture was mixed using a mixer for several minutes to produce a clear, deep blue solution. The resulting solution was placed in an ultrafiltration unit. The solution was diluted to a volume of 200 ml and then subjected to ultrafiltration and worked up to afford soluble vanadium. After that cobalt dichloride (2.5 g) was dissolved in water (30 ml) and then EDTA (2.4 g) and polyethyleneimine (2.5 g) were added. The resulting mixture was mixed using a mixer. The solution was diluted to a volume of 200 ml and then subjected to ultrafiltration and to afford soluble cobalt. Vanadium solution (2 ml, 363 mM) and cobalt solution (0.130 ml) were combined, poured into a ceramic boat, and then the ceramic boat was heated on a hot plate at 100 degrees C for several hours until a thick gel body formed. The boat was then heated in a tube furnace under a flow of a gas mixture of hydrogen (4%) and nitrogen (96%) at a ramp rate of 1 degrees C/minute and worked up to afford inorganic foam.