US Patent 7476439 - Nanoporous carbon fiber matrix

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7476439.html

This patent from Honda Motor Co. teaches an improved friction material based on a flexible carbon composite having improved dynamic friction performance due to nanoporous structure. Claim 1 reads:

1. A carbon fiber composite material comprising:

carbon fibers, and

a carbon matrix provided between the carbon fibers and joining the carbon fibers with each other, the matrix having fine pores having diameters of 3.5 nm to 100 nm.

However, there seems to have been some prior art overlooked related to carbon fiber based molecular sieves. An example is US Patent 5,827,355 - see column 6, lines 61-67.