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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Fabrication, Densification, and Replica Molding of 3D Carbon Nanotube Microstructures
Published on: July 2, 2012
Nanoporous materials with spherical and gyroid cavities created by quantitative etching of polydimethylsiloxane in
Sokol Ndoni1, Martin E Vigild, Rolf H Berg
1The Danish Polymer Centre, Risø National Laboratory, bldg. 111-124, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark. sokol.ndoni@risoe.dk
Abstract:
A new method for quantitative etching of the poly(dimethylsiloxane) block in polystyrene-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PS-PDMS) block copolymers is reported. Reacting the block copolymer with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride renders a nanoporous material (NPM) with the remaining glassy PS maintaining the original bulk morphology. 1H NMR, mass difference, size exclusion chromatography, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the materials before and after etching. NPMs containing spherical and gyroid cavities were prepared, as ascertained by small-angle X-ray scattering. This is the first report on block copolymer-based NPM films of millimeter thickness containing secluded spherical holes. Surface images by AFM and SEM are consistent with the SAXS findings.
