Highly ordered arrays of mesoporous silica nanorods with tunable aspect ratios from block copolymer thin films

Highly ordered arrays of mesoporous silica nanorods with a tunable aspect ratio can be fabricated using PEOm-b-PMA(Az)(n) block copolymer thin films as templates. Together, penetration of the films by the silica precursor and the film thickness control the SiO2 nanorod growth, and heights of almost 200 nm can be achieved. Inside the SiO2 nanorods, mesochannels with a diameter of similar to 2 nm are formed that are aligned along the longitudinal axis of the rod.