Templated ceramic microstructures by using the breath-figure method.

We describe the synthesis of two cyclobutadiene(cyclopentadienyl)cobalt-containing poly(p-phenylene ethynylene)s (PPEs) and their use as precursors for stable ceramic surface coatings. Organometallic PPEs were shaped into hexagonally ordered assemblies by using the breath-figure method. Such breath figures can be washed away with an appropriate solvent. Upon pyrolysis at 500 degrees C under either nitrogen or air, the bubble arrays persist as ceramics and are insoluble in organic solvents or water. The formed pyrolyzed bubble arrays were analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, as well as energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX). The composition of the ceramic materials is discussed based on EDX and IR data.