Colloidal crystal-templating method

Sadakane, M., Asanuma, T., Kubo, J. et al. (2005) Facile procedure to prepare three-dimensionally ordered macroporous (3DOM) perovskite-type mixed metal oxides by colloidal crystal templating method, Chem. Mater. 17, 3546. 

Three-dimensionally ordered macroporous ceramic with high LR ion conductivity was prepared by colloidal crystal templating method using monodispersed polystyrene beads [12]. Monodispersed polystyrene beads with 3 pm diameter were dispersed in water and then filtrated by using a membrane filter under a small pressure difference. After this treatment, polystyrene beads were accumulated on the membrane filter with closed pack structure, as shown in Fig. 4.2. Then, the membrane consisting of accumulated polystyrene beads was removed from the membrane filter and put on a glass substrate. After drying at room temperature, the... 

Figure 3.7 Colloidal crystal templating method to produce three-dimensionally ordered macroporous materials...

Figure 8.7 Schematic illustration of the colloidal crystal-templating method.

Figure 6.1 SEM images of (a) colloidal crystal (opal structure) of PMMA spheres and (b and c) 3D0M LaFeOa prepared by the colloidal crystal template method.

The method relies on the properties of monodispersed latex/silica spheres to assemble, through colloidal interactions, into a well-ordered, face-centered-cubic colloidal crystal upon centrifugation, sedimentation, electrophoresis, oscillatory shear or pressing in the form of pellets. Following pre-assembly of the colloidal crystal template, the precursor is infiltrated into the empty octahedral and tetrahedral interstitial sites that exist between the spheres. After conversion of the precursor to the desired material inside the voids, the template is removed leaving... 

Codeposition, which represents the concurrent processes of colloidal crystal template formation and simultaneous filling of the interstitial sites with the desired framework material, is usually achieved by the deposition of a mixture of the templating colloids with the matrix material precursor (for example, a sol-gel precursor or nanoparticles). For this purpose, a dispersion of large particles, which will constitute the template, is mixed with nanoparticles of the framework material, which have to be small enough to easily fit into the interstitial space without interfering with crystal formation. By this method porous silica [25,32,35] and titania [32] were fabricated. 

If mixed-metal alkoxide precursors can be prepared and their reactivity can be controlled, ordered macroporous mixed metal oxides can be produced by a sol-gel method using a colloidal crystal template. Alkoxides of Ti and Zr with other metals are easily prepared by mixing titanium alkoxide and zirconium alkoxide with alkoxides of other metals or metal salts, and the formed mixed metal alkoxides can infiltrate the voids of templates. Therefore, production of mixed metal oxides with Ti and Zr is straightforward. 

In this chapter, we provide an overview of the recent research and development in the preparation, characterization, and application of novel porous carbons using both the endotemplate and the exotemplate methods. A discussion of zeolite templates for microporous carbons is followed by that of ordered mesoporous silica templates for OMCs, nanoparticle templates for mesoporous carbons, sol-gel processed porous carbons, self-assembled colloidal crystal templates for ordered macroporous carbons, and colloidal sphere templates for hollow carbon spheres, as well as other templating approaches to preparing carbon nanostructures. Then,... 

Halpern and Corn were actually able to combine this method along with the colloid crystal template to synthesize nanoring arrays with controllable dimensions. A schematic of this process along with an SEM image of the array of nanorings can be found in Figure 10.5. 

Nevertheless, this method has some hmitations (such as a loss of solvent during sol-gel processing or decomposition of the precursor) leading to incomplete filling of interstitial spaces of colloidal crystal. Template-directed electrochemical... 

Most of 3DOM metal oxides are fabricated by an alkoxide-based sol-gel process. The typical procedures include (i) preparation of a colloidal crystal template by ordering monodispersive microspheres (e.g., PS, PMMA or silica) into a face-centered close-packed array (ii) infiltration of a metal alkoxide solution into voids in the colloidal crystals, and in-situ solidification of the precimsor via a sol-gel process and (iii) template removal via a calcination or extraction pathway [99,217-219], Using the alkoxide-based sol-gel method, 3DOM oxides of Si, Ti, Zr, Al, Sb, W, Fe, and 3DOM mixed oxides of some of them can synthesized due to the moderate reactivity of their alkoxide preciuTsors [99], However, most of the other metal alkoxides exhibit high reactivity and their reactions are too quick to be... 

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