The breath‐figures self‐assembly process was studied. Polystyrene and polycarbonate were dissolved in a diversity of solvents including, acetone, dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, xylenes, carbon disulfide, and N‐N dimethylformamide, and then were evaporated in a humid atmosphere. It was demonstrated that all solutions when sufficiently pre‐cooled gave rise to typical “breath‐figures” patterns. Thus, the decisive factor affecting the formation of the breath‐figures pattern is the temperature of the solution. Wetting properties of the manufactured patterns are reported.

A method of manufacturing free‐standing, micrometer‐scale honeycomb polyetherimide films is reported for the first time. Films are manufactured with a dip‐coating technique under water‐assisted self‐assembly. It is shown that the addition of poly(organosilane/siloxane)s and poly(ethylene glycol) allows the formation of regular honeycomb patterns. The films demonstrated the high thermal stability inherent for polyetherimide. The wetting properties of films are reported. The presence of nanopores was revealed with SEM imaging of the films. The makeup of the films allows their use as asymmetric membranes for reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration.magnified image

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