Template Infiltration Routes to Ordered Macroporous TiN and SiNx Films

Ordered macroporous films of nanocrystal line TiN and amorphous SiNx on silica substrates have been prepared. This involved infiltration of sacrificial templates of close-packed polystyrene microsphere arrays with precursor materials, followed by pyrolysis under ammonia to remove the template and form the ceramic materials. TiN was prepared from a sol-gel route, whereas SiNx was introduced using a Si(NHMe)(4) precursor solution. Hexane was found to be the solvent most compatible with the divinylbenzene-cross-linked polystyrene template and was used for both materials.