“…15 Recently, PCTE membranes with intersected cylindrical nanopores of different sizes have been produced and used as templates for the elaboration of interconnected metallic nanotube networks. 7,8,28,29 But, to the best of our knowledge, these new types of PC templates have not yet been used to prepare free-standing 3D interconnected mesoporous silica nanotubes, which could be further selectively functionalized on their inner and/or outer surfaces, offering new and interesting opportunities for catalytic or biomedical applications.…”