Fabrication of macroporous films with closed honeycomb-like pores from exponentially growing layer-by-layer assembled polyelectrolyte multilayers.
We report an innovative method for the fabrication of macroporous films with closed honeycomb-like pores of several micrometers by post-treatment of micrometer-thick poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) films. The precursor PAA/PAH films are fabricated by exponential layer-by-layer assembly of PAA and PAH, which produces PAA/PAH films with highly interpenetrated structures. We disclose that the high mobility of PAA and PAH, which originates from the highly interpenetrated film structures, allows a large-scale phase separation to take place upon post-treatment to produce micrometer-sized honeycomb pores. These macroporous PAA/PAH films can be conveniently released from substrates to produce free-standing films with satisfactory mechanical stability.
State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012 (P.R. China), Fax: (+86) 431-8519-3421.
Xiaoling
X
Chen
Junqi
J
Sun
D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
D004573:Electrolytes; D008567:Membranes, Artificial
layer-by-layer assembly; materials science; polymers; porous films; surface chemistry