Thin Silica Film with a Network Structure as Prepared by Surface Sol-Gel Transcription on the Poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) Polymer Film
Sol-gel polycondensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was carried out on the cast film of poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) under basic (benzylamine), acidic (AcOH), and neutral (no catalyst) conditions. It was found that only under the acidic and neutral conditions, the phase-separated periodic structure of the copolymer is finely transcribed into the silica. This is a new, convenient method to create the thin, mosaic film from inorganic materials.