Studies on late formation of 3D ordered macroporous materials through colloidal crystal templates

Three-dimensional ordered macroporous (3DOM) materials are anticipated to exhibit improved performance in lots of applications due to their special structure. This paper presents the formation mechanism of 3DOM structure during the removal process of templates, which has not been systematically studied yet. Using polymer colloidal crystal template, 3DOM metallic materials were prepared by electrochemical deposition and dissolution. The results indicate that windows in inverse opals are formed because of the associated breaking of thin wall materials. There seems to be a critical thickness for the same wall materials. The existence of windows improved the formation of 3DOM structures during the removal process of templates.