Optical properties and gel characteristics in inverse opals made from poly(3-alkylthiophene) and photopolymer

Anisotropic Diffusion in Face-Centered Cubic Opals

“…18 These materials are typically prepared by infusion or diffusional transport of precursor species through the opal lattice, followed by removal of the spheres to create an inverted opal structure. 1,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] Molecular transport occurs within the tortuous interstitial spaces of the opal, Figure 1. Based on geometric factors alone, the effective diffusivity of molecules within the fcc lattice of spheres, D fcc , can be related to the diffusivitiy of molecules in free space, D sol , by eq 1:…”

“…The recent interest in opals comprising a close-packed face center cubic (fcc) lattice of spheres (typically SiO 2 or polystyrene of submicrometer radius) is due, in part, to their application in the synthesis of photonic crystals, − energy storage media, − novel magnetic materials, − and sensors . These materials are typically prepared by infusion or diffusional transport of precursor species through the opal lattice, followed by removal of the spheres to create an inverted opal structure. ,− …”