Preparation of porous poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based honeycomb materials with hierarchal surface features and their use as soft-lithography templates

Ordered hierarchal porous materials made via the "breath figure" technique are prepared from solutions of poly(dimethylsiloxane) -based star polymers. The successful formation of regular porous materials on ordered nonflat substrates (see figure and inside cover) is described. The materials are used as soft lithography masters to produce a variety of exotic structures. Potential applications of the technique includes the preparation of substrates for cellular growth or photonic materials.