Synthesis of Inorganic and Hybrid Functional Nanostructures Using Polymer Templates

Polymers can be infiltrated with inorganic precursors from vapor or solution resulting in high performing functional nanostructures. In the case of block-copolymers, the infiltration can be achieved selectively by selective interaction of only one type of domains with inorganic precursors. The dimensions of the block copolymer templates define the structural features of the formed hybrid or all-inorganic structures. Also, nanostructures can be obtained using porous polymers. We will present in detail the effect of polymer swelling and different types of infiltrations on the final composition and properties of nanostructures.<br/>We will demonstrate that polymer infiltration can enable synthesis of a broad range of materials with interesting catalytic, sensing, and optical properties. We will show that this approach can be used to synthetize both three-dimensional heterostructures and conformal coatings. We will provide examples of catalytically active nanoparticles on porous supports with advanced thermal stability synthetized using the polymer templates. We will demonstrate a general platform toward fabrication of all-inorganic antireflective coatings. We will discuss the effect of polymer removal on the crystalline phase of the synthetized inorganic heterostructures.