Nanoporous thin films with controllable nanopores processed from vertically aligned nanocomposites

Porous thin films with ordered nanopores have been processed by thermal treatment on vertically aligned nanocomposites (VAN), e. g., (BiFeO3)(0.5):(Sm2O3)(0.5) VAN thin films. Uniformly distributed nanopores with an average diameter of 60 nm and 150 nm were formed at the bottom and top of the nanoporous films, respectively. Controllable porosity can be achieved by adjusting the microstructure of VAN (BiFeO3):(Sm2O3) thin films and the annealing parameters. In situ heating experiments within a transmission electron microscope (TEM) column at temperatures from 25 to 850 degrees C, provides significant insights into the phase transformation, evaporation and structure reconstruction during the annealing. The in situ experiments also demonstrate the possibility of processing vertically aligned nanopores (VANP) with one phase stable in a columnar structure. These nanoporous thin films with controllable pore size and density could be promising candidates for thin film membranes and catalysis for fuel cell and gas sensor applications.