Structured porous materials via colloidal crystal templating: From inorganic oxides to metals

The formation of nanostructured materials by using colloidal crystals as templates is a relatively new but rapidly growing area of materials science. Colloid crystalline templates are three-dimensional close-packed crystals of submicrometer spheres, whose long-ranged ordered structure is replicated in a solid matrix, to yield materials with ordered pores. These materials hold promise for use as photonic crystals, advanced catalysts, and in a variety of other applications. Here we review the wide range of materials that have been made following the original synthesis of structured porous silica. This method has been recently modified to produce porous metals.