Modified Breath Figure Methods for the Pore-Selective Functionalization of Honeycomb-Patterned Porous Polymer Films

Abstract

Recent developments in the field of the breath figure (BF) method have led to renewed interest from researchers in the pore-selective functionalization of honeycomb-patterned (HCP) films. The pore-selective functionalization of the HCP film gives unique properties to the film which can be used for specific applications such as protein recognition, catalysis, selective cell culturing, and drug delivery. There are several comprehensive reviews available for the pore-selective functionalization by the self-assembly process. However, considerable progress in preparation technologies and incorporation of new materials inside the pore surface for exact applications have emerged, thus warranting a review. In this review, we have focused on the pore-selective functionalization of the HCP films by the modified BF method, in which the self-assembly process is accompanied by an interfacial reaction. We review the importance of pore-selective functionalization, its applications, present limitations, and future perspectives.

Exploiting breath figure reversibility for in situ pattern modulation and hierarchical design

“…43 Secondary patterns have been created via consecutive processes such as large-scale re-shaping of the pre-patterned substrates 44 or BF patterning on physically confined 3D substrates. 39,[45][46][47] The use of combined techniques with nanoparticles [48][49][50][51] or other self-assembly and phase separation techniques 40,[52][53][54] have also proven successful for the fabrication of hierarchical BF patterns. The reliance upon hybrid approaches, however, further narrows the range of operational working parameters and choice of materials, impairing the simplicity of the BF method with little to no deterministic control over the final design.…”

Novel Capturer-Catalyst Microreactor System with a Polypyrrole/Metal Nanoparticle Composite Incorporated in the Porous Honeycomb-Patterned Film

“…Porous films can provide a platform for the growth of other materials due to their high surface area and interconnected pores. These pores can be either templates or scaffolds for the deposition or growth of other materials, such as nanoparticles (NPs), metal salts, biomaterials, and polymers . Hence, the fabrication of porous films and the functionalization of their pores is a crucial area of research with potential applications in various fields such as catalysis, selective cell culturing, protein recognition, and controlled drug delivery .…”

“…These pores can be either templates or scaffolds for the deposition or growth of other materials, such as nanoparticles (NPs), metal salts, biomaterials, and polymers . Hence, the fabrication of porous films and the functionalization of their pores is a crucial area of research with potential applications in various fields such as catalysis, selective cell culturing, protein recognition, and controlled drug delivery . One of the versatile approaches used to create various nanostructures and porous materials is self-templated synthesis, also known as template-assisted or template-directed synthesis. , In this process, the template serves as a scaffold, guiding the formation of the final structure.…”

“…These pores can be either templates or scaffolds for the deposition or growth of other materials, such as nanoparticles (NPs), metal salts, biomaterials, and polymers. 1 Hence, the fabrication of porous films and the functionalization of their pores is a crucial area of research with potential applications in various fields such as catalysis, selective cell culturing, protein recognition, and controlled drug delivery. 1 One of the versatile approaches used to create various nanostructures and porous materials is self-templated synthesis, also known as templateassisted or template-directed synthesis.…”

Macroporous fibers electrospun from dual‐good solvent system

“…The liquid–liquid phase separation is primarily divided into three categories based on the mechanisms: nonsolvent‐induced phase separation (NIPS), thermally‐induced phase separation (TIPS), and vapor‐induced phase separation (VIPS) 5,8–10 . In addition to the phase separation techniques, the breath figure (BF) method in which the regularly‐arranged water droplets condensed from atmosphere work as templates has widely been used to fabricate ordered porous films 11–14 . Apart from membranes or films, the liquid–liquid phase separation and BF techniques have been applied to electrospinning for preparing porous fibers 15–19 .…”