Templated Ceramic Microstructures by Using the Breath‐Figure Method

Abstract

We describe the synthesis of two cyclobutadiene(cyclopentadienyl)cobalt-containing poly(p-phenylene ethynylene)s (PPEs) and their use as precursors for stable ceramic surface coatings. Organometallic PPEs were shaped into hexagonally ordered assemblies by using the breath-figure method. Such breath figures can be washed away with an appropriate solvent. Upon pyrolysis at 500 degrees C under either nitrogen or air, the bubble arrays persist as ceramics and are insoluble in organic solvents or water. The formed pyrolyzed bubble arrays were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, as well as energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The composition of the ceramic materials is discussed based on EDX and IR data.

Advances in Fabrication Materials of Honeycomb Structure Films by the Breath-Figure Method

“…Pyrolysis can transform these polymers into the ceramic state. When the organometallic PPE (Figure 8c) was cast from CS 2 , a well-shaped honeycomb structure film formed (Figure 8) [100,101,102]. Due to the high content of silicon, carbon, and cobalt, BFAs of PPE do not melt, but form a highly crosslinked and insoluble ceramic material upon heating to 600 °C.…”

Honeycomb structured porous films from amphiphilic block copolymers prepared via RAFT polymerization

“…The hexagonal arrangement of pores and the pore sizes, ranging between 20 nm [5] and 20 mm [6], are influenced by the polymers used and the casting conditions under which the formation of films were completed. A variety of polymers have been employed in the preparation of honeycomb structured porous films including polystyrene star or comb polymers [7], rodcoil polymers [8], conjugated polymers with semi-conducting properties [9e11], polyimides [12], light-emitting polymers [13], liquid-crystalline polymers [14], organometallic polymers [15] and degradable polymers such as poly(3-caprolactone) [16]. When amphiphilic block copolymers [17,18] are used in this process, the formation of a nano-scaled suborder is observed.…”

Formation of honeycomb‐structured, porous films via breath figures with different polymer architectures

“…However, if the polymer is too hydrophilic, the process is much less robust, and the casting conditions need to be optimized (with empirical optimization as the mechanism is not understood). To date, a range of different polymers have been used to obtain honeycomb-structured films, 3 such as linear conjugated polymers with semiconducting properties, 14,15 polyimides, 16 light-emitting polymers, 17 liquid-crystalline polymers, 18 organometallic polymers, 19 and degradable polymers such as poly(e-caprolactone). 20 However, the question remains what factors influence the formation of highly ordered films to make the process less empirical.…”