Polymerization of bicontinuous cubic (Q) liquid crystals (LCs) can be utilized to produce technologically useful polymeric materials with 3-D interconnected nanopores of ∼1 nm. However, their practical applications have been hindered by the exceptionally complicated syntheses of the needed polymerizable amphiphiles and the susceptible morphological destruction upon polymerization. Here, we present a scalable strategy to fabricate polymeric membranes with 3-D interconnected nanopores by photo-crosslinking of easily accessible Q LCs. We leverage a readily synthesized, cost-effective zwitterionic monomer as the building block to construct "normal" lyotropic double gyroid (G 1 ) mesophases that afford radical polymerization. Although self-assembly of the amphiphile in neat water forms no Q LCs, additional phosphoric acid can drive the emergence of G 1 mesophases by inducing the non-constant interfacial curvature. An intriguing advantage exhibited by this polymerizable G 1 system is the ability to persist upon swelling by large volumes of commercially available cross-linkers, thereby effectively facilitating structural lock-in through photoinitiated cross-linking. High-brilliance synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering has unambiguously confirmed the excellent retention of periodic G 1 morphologies in the mechanically robust polymers. Transmission electron microscopy further provides unprecedented, detailed visualization of the spacing and symmetry in the cross-linked G 1 assemblies over large areas. The exceptionally easy access to the building blocks and the high-fidelity structural preservation enable the scalable fabrication of nanoporous membranes for applications such as ionic transportation, as preliminarily demonstrated.
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