Solvent Vapor Annealing for Controlled Pore Expansion of Block Copolymer-Assembled Inorganic Mesoporous Films
Mesoporous inorganic thin films are promising materials architectures for a variety of high-value applications, ranging from optical coatings and purification membranes to sensing and energy storage devices. Having precise control over the structural parameters of the porous network is crucial for b...
| Publié dans: | Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids. - 1985. - 38(2022), 10 vom: 15. März, Seite 3297-3304 |
|---|---|
| Auteur principal: | |
| Autres auteurs: | , , |
| Format: | Article en ligne |
| Langue: | English |
| Publié: |
2022
|
| Accès à la collection: | Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids |
| Sujets: | Journal Article |
| Résumé: | Mesoporous inorganic thin films are promising materials architectures for a variety of high-value applications, ranging from optical coatings and purification membranes to sensing and energy storage devices. Having precise control over the structural parameters of the porous network is crucial for broadening their applicability. To this end, the use of block copolymers (BCP) as sacrificial structure-directing agents via micelle coassembly is a particularly attractive route, since the resultant pore size is directly related to scaling laws for the radius of gyration of the pore-forming macromolecule. However, tailoring the molecular weight of the BCP via bespoke synthesis is an elaborate process that requires precise control over highly sensitive reactions conditions. Alternative methods have emerged, based on supramolecular assembly or the addition of different swelling agents. Nevertheleses, to date, these present a negative impact on the structural order and pore size dispersity of the final inorganic mesoporous films. In this work, we propose a novel and effective method for control over pore size, porosity, and structural order, which relies on a synergistic combination of BCP selective swelling via solvent vapor annealing (SVA) and locking of the structure by condensation of the inorganic sol-gel precursors. The results obtained in this work for TiO2 establish SVA as a new, straightforward, simple, and powerful route for the fabrication of mesoporous thin-film materials with controllable structural characteristics |
|---|---|
| Description: | Date Revised 16.07.2022 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1520-5827 |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c00074 |