Fabrication and applications of honeycomb structure films

Abstract

Novel developments in the field of material engineering sought to improve cost efficiency and production quality. Breath figure templating technique is a promising self-assembly technique that awaits to be applied commercially. The technique forms monodisperse pores across a surface in a facile, one-step process.

The fabricated surfaces are versatile and have found many applications. However, in the past, scientists have only focused on BFAs with close-packed features. This study extends the fabrication technique to produce non-close-packed morphologies, which are can find new uses involving structural colourations, photonic materials, bio-substrates, etc.

In this study, hydrogen bromide (HBr) is added into BF casting solution such that ion partitioning can occur. Electrostatic forces were exploited to induce repulsion between water droplets, which led to separations in the porous morphology. The optimization was successful and contributing system components were discussed. General conditions which led to the formation of non-close-packed morphologies were further elaborated, serving as a guideline to tune and optimize similar fabrications in the future.