Ordered bicontinuous nanoporous and nanorelief ceramic films from self assembling polymer precursors

Three-dimensional ceramic nanostructured films were produced from silicon-containing triblock copolymer films exhibiting the double gyroid and inverse double gyroid morphologies (space group 1a3d). A one-step room-temperature oxidation process that used ozonolysis and ultraviolet irradiation effected both the selective removal of the hydrocarbon block and the conversion of the silicon-containing block to a silicon oxycarbide ceramic stable to 400 degrees C. Depending on the relative volume fraction of the hydrocarbon block to the silicon-containing block, either nanoporous or nanorelief structures were fabricated with calculated interfacial areas of similar to 40 square meters per gram and pore or strut sizes of similar to 20 nanometers.