Derivation of cubic and hexagonal mesoporous silica films by spin-coating

Abstract

By introducing spin-coating method to the evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) process, a simple and reproducible route in controlling the mesophase of silica thin films has been developed for the first time in this work. When a comparatively solvent-rich Si-sol (The atomic ratio of TEOS: F127: HCl: H 2O: EtOH = 1: 0.006: 0.2: 9.2: 30) was used as coating solution, the mesophase of resultant silica films was selectively controlled by adjusting the spin-on speed. The cubic mesophase has been obtained from the coating at a low rpm, such as 600 rpm, while the 2-D hexagonal mesophase is formed at a high rpm, such as 2,500 rpm. At a medium coating speed, a mixture of cubic and hexagonal mesophase has been found in the fabricated films. The present results confirm that the evaporation rate of volatile components at initial step is critical for the determination of mesopore structures during the EISA process.