Fractionation of block copolymers for pore size control and reduced dispersity in mesoporous inorganic thin films

Published in Chemistry
Fractionation of block copolymers for pore size control and reduced dispersity in mesoporous inorganic thin films
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Inorganic mesoporous coatings find widespread application in fields ranging from photovoltaics, supercapacitors and other electrochemical applications to optical coatings, chemo- and biosensing. In many cases, control over the pore dimensions is of paramount importance. The use of block copolymers as sacrificial structure directing agent has proven a particular attractive method for solution-based material deposition, since the resulting pore sizes can be adjusted through the molecular weight of the pore forming block. On the other hand, bespoke block copolymer synthesis remains a considerable effort, thus impeding continuous pore tuning for nanostructure optimisation. Furthermore, the intrinsic polymer dispersity presents challenges to the pore size homogeneity.

To this end, we establish a powerful route to pore size and dispersity control of mesoporous inorganic thin films via size exclusion chromatographic fractionation of BCPs. We provide a reliable experimental protocol and extensive materials characterisation. Furthermore, we present important fundamental insights on the direct relationship between macromolecular characteristics and the resulting structure-directed mesopores, in particular related to dispersity This approach represents a versatile approach for structure-function screening and applicationspecific optimisation of structural parameters.

The article published in Nanoscale (10.1039/D0NR05132B) is freely available as gold open access here:  https://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2020/NR/D0NR05132B#!divAbstract

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