Vesicle array-templated large-area silica surface patterns.

Micropatterning has important applications in a wide range of areas, including microelectronics, optics, information displays, and biotechnology. Herein, we describe a vesicle-array templating approach for the generation of surface patterns of micrometer-sized silica features on the surfaces of silica monoliths. The approach makes use of tetraethyl orthosilicate as silica precursor, a poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) triblock copolymer, EO2PO16EO2, as surfactants, and water, ethanol, and dimethylformamide as solvents. The morphological shapes of produced silica features are synthetically controlled through varying the sequence of silica precursor hydrolysis, vesicle formation, and silica condensation. Prehydrolysis of the silica precursor, before being mixed with the copolymer, gives hollow convex protrusions. Direct mixing of the silica precursor and the copolymer produces concave depressions. An increase in the amount of water in the mixture solution without prehydrolysis of the silica precursor results in hierarchical patterns of larger concave depressions attached with smaller convex protrusions. It has further been demonstrated that concave surface patterns can function as microlens arrays that are capable of producing numerous optical images from a common object.