Electroinduced Surfactant Self-Assembly Driven to Vertical Growth of Oriented Mesoporous Films

Supramolecular soft-templating approaches to mesoporous materials have revolutionized the generation of regular nanoarchitectures exhibiting unique features such as uniform pore structure with tunable dimensions, large surface area, and high volume, variability composition, and/or ease functionalization a wide range organo-functional groups or good hosts for in situ synthesis nano-objects. One appealing concept this field is development ordered thin films configuration has proven be essential various applications including separation, sensing, catalysis (electro photo), energy conversion storage, photonics, solar cells, photo- electrochromism, low-k dielectric coatings microelectronics, bio nanobio devices, biomimetic surfaces. Supported free-standing are mostly prepared by evaporation induced self-assembly methods, thanks their processing capability flexibility manufacture mesostructured oxides organic-inorganic hybrids periodically organized porosity.One important challenge control orientation, especially one-dimensional nanostructures, which not straightforward from above methods. Accessibility pores represents another critical issue, can basically ensured event effective interconnections between pores, but vertical alignment mesopore channels will definitely offer best secure most efficient transfer processes through membranes. The orthogonal growth mesochannels however thermodynamically favored, requiring methods enabling self-organization nonequilibrium states. We found that electrochemistry afforded real boon tackle problem via electrochemically assisted (EASA) method, only provides fast versatile way generate highly hexagonally packed also constitutes platform functionalized oriented carrying adjustable composition properties.This Account introduces EASA discusses its along significant progress made discovery, notably view recent advances on silica films, expand fields application. based combination triggered pH-induced polycondensation precursors electrochemical interfacial surfactant templating, leading very (a few seconds) vertically aligned walls around hemimicelles transiently formed onto underlying support. This method benefits possibility deposit surfaces different natures complex morphologies at microscale. From our research expanded cover domains beyond simple production bare turning incorporation exploitation nanofilaments. So far, great majority developed postsynthesis grafting co-condensation approaches, suffer serious limitations (pore blocking, lack ordering). demonstrated uniqueness combined click chemistry afford universal route bearing multiple composition. opened perspectives future developments applications, some (sensing, permselective coatings, electrocatalysis, electrochromism) considered Account.